One Catholic Lifehttp://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife
Books and Reading • Faith and Preaching • Life and LivingTue, 22 May 2018 05:00:24 +0000en-UShourly1The experiences, reflections and homilies of a Catholic husband, father, teacher, and deacon.Nick Sengernomrsenger@hotmail.com (One Catholic Life)Copyright 2017, Nick SengerThere are millions of Catholic stories in the world, and you've just stumbled across mine.One Catholic Lifehttp://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/oclitunes1400.jpghttp://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife
12032483Copyright 2017, Nick Sengercatholic,deacon,homilies,homily,catechist,sermonReligion & Spirituality/ChristianitySociety & Culture/Personal Journalsnwsenger@gmail.comNick Sengercatholic,deacon,homilies,homily,catechist,sermononecatholiclifehttps://feedburner.google.comClassics Club #20: She by H. Rider Haggardhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onecatholiclife/~3/LcfrUqbp36o/classics-club-20-she-by-h-rider-haggard
http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/classics-club-20-she-by-h-rider-haggard#respondThu, 17 May 2018 11:43:45 +0000nwsenger@gmail.com (Nick Senger)http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/?p=6867She is the landmark fantasy/adventure novel by H. Rider Haggard that has influenced authors like J.R.R. Tolkien, Rudyard Kipling, and George R.R. Martin. It has appeared on lists like Fantasy: The 100 Best Books, Horror: The 100 Best Books, and Classics of Science Fiction. Serialized from 1886 to 1887, She was one of the first “lost world” stories, and laid the foundation for stories featuring characters like Doc Savage and Indiana Jones.

In She, Horace Holly narrates the tale of his journey with his adoptive son Leo Vincey to the heart of Africa. There they reach a lost kingdom ruled by the mysteriously beautiful queen Ayesaha, known as “She“, or “She-who-must-be-obeyed“.”

I mostly enjoyed reading the tale of She-who-must-be-obeyed, but there were more than a few sections that dragged too much for me. There were some unforgettable scenes, however, and once I reached the halfway point of the novel, I became hooked. I liked the narrator, Horace Holly, and Ayesha herself was a fascinating character. But Leo Vincey, the supposed hero of the story, was quite a disappointment after his promising introduction.

Overall, if you like Victorian fantasy by authors like Lord Dunsany, or if you want to explore the origins of modern science fiction and fantasy, then She is a must-read.

Today is day 127 of the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, which is about a third of the way through the book. For those who are participating, well done. It’s not easy to limit yourself to a few pages a day, especially when you have to leave characters behind for a week or more to read Hugo’s digressions. If you’re staying with the schedule, then right now you’re in the middle of reading the history of the Convent of the Petit Picpus. Like the chapters on Waterloo, this can be a frustrating section to read so slowly. I hope you’re staying with Hugo’s masterpiece, even if it means reading ahead or reading several chapters at a time and then taking a break.

As for me, I’ve gotten into a good rhythm of reading the book each day. I don’t know how I would feel if I were reading Les Misérables for the first time, but I’m enjoying the slow pace despite being impatient to continue. Reading a chapter a day is forcing me to pay closer attention to the details of Hugo’s writing, and to think more about what I’m reading. It’s like walking home from work instead of driving the car. It takes longer, but you get to focus more on the scenery, and maybe even notice things you never saw before.

This passage in John’s Gospel about the vine and the branches
is one of the most beautiful in all the Gospels.
Jesus says, “I am the vine, and you are the branches.”
It’s a beautiful image of life, growth, and relationship,
and it tells us a lot about how much the Father cares for us.

Now, I don’t know much about vines or branches or pruning,
but Brenda and I do have this huge maple tree in our back yard.
It’s a great tree, about thirty years old,
and it gives our southern exposed deck wonderful shade.
It just grows and grows,
and I guess maybe it’s gotten a little bigger than we realized.

We discovered just how big
a couple of weeks ago,
when we went to the Home and Garden Show
and we were talking with a company
about having them do some lawn care for us.
To give us an accurate estimate of how much it would cost,
they pulled up a satellite picture of our yard,
so they could measure it.
As they brought up the picture on their computer screen,
Brenda and I were shocked to see
just how massive our maple tree had grown.
It doesn’t look that big from below,
but when you look at it from above the house,
it’s this great leafy monster covering half of our yard,
stretching its gigantic limbs across the fence
into our neighbor’s yard,
and entangling itself in the power lines.
From our angle down on the ground,
we hadn’t noticed it had grown so huge.

I thought, How did that happen?
How did we let that beautiful tree grow so wild and out of control,
without even noticing?
If you’re a home owner,
you probably know what I’m talking about.
It’s expensive to have a tree pruned,
and there are lots of other bills to pay.
And life gets so busy with kids and jobs,
and all the other day-to-day responsibilities.
The time seems to pass by so fast,
and before you know it,
your nice shade tree is a hulking monstrosity.

As I was reading today’s gospel,
I thought about how what happens to trees
can happen to people, too.
We’re growing along nicely, stretching our limbs,
expanding our root systems,
but then slowly, over time,
things can grow out of control,
and before you know it,
life is cluttered with huge branches
that get in the way, throw us off balance, and weigh us down.
We get entangled, not in power lines,
but in bad habits, distractions, and sin.
And a lot of the time we can’t really tell it’s happening
from our view on the ground.

Jesus reminds us today,
that He is the true vine,
and his Father is the vine grower.
The Father has a perfect view of us from above,
not only of who we are, but of who we can become.

The Father prunes away what distracts us from Him,
removing what would harm us,
shaping us into something beautiful.
God is always taking care of us,
tending to us, nurturing us.
Our creation didn’t stop on the day we were born.
God continues to create us from moment to moment.

This passage from John’s gospel is about the goodness of God,
the love of God, for each of us.
Even if there are sufferings in our lives,
God can turn them into something helpful.

This is what he did with St. Paul.
The first time we meet Paul in Scripture,
he is supervising, consenting to, the death of St. Stephen.
We read how he persecuted Christians,
how he entered house after house,
dragging men and women out,
and handing them over for imprisonment.
He even admits in one of his epistles
that he was trying to destroy the Church.

Paul couldn’t see from his vantage point
that he was becoming as wild and monstrous
as that maple in my back yard.
He couldn’t see it.
But God could see who Paul was,
and also who he could become.
God kept tending to Paul, pruning him and shaping him,
finally revealing Jesus to him on the road to Damascus.

That moment wasn’t easy for Paul, being struck blind.
It wasn’t easy having to admit he had been wrong,
it wasn’t easy having to earn the trust of the disciples.

It’s not easy for us, either,
trying to love each other not just in word or speech,
but in deed and truth.
It’s painful to admit we’re wrong, to give up bad habits,
to seek forgiveness.
But we have the promise
that the Father will continue to take care of us,
perfecting us, shaping us so that we can bear fruit.
God never forgets us, or leaves us on our own.
God is constantly forming us more and more in his own image.

When I think of that maple tree in our back yard,
I am so thankful that God is not as neglectful as I am.
I’m happy to report that Brenda and I have scheduled an arborist
to come and prune our tree this week,
and restore it to its normal healthy self.

As we all do our spring yard work in the coming days,
mowing our lawns, trimming our weeds, and pruning our trees,
let us also use that time to thank God
for pruning us, shaping us,
for taking such good care of us,
often in ways we don’t even realize.

When I taught Les Misérables to eighth graders, one of my favorite assignments was a final project in which students were to choose contemporary songs to go along with the book. I always loved seeing the connections students made between the novel and popular culture. Inevitably, at least one student would choose Abba’s “Waterloo,” but there were also some very original choices as well. In the early years of the project, students turned their songs in on cassette tapes, but over time they switched to CDs.

I wonder, If you were to make a mix tape of songs about the book up to this point, what songs would you choose, and why? Here are few of my choices, along with my rationale.

Midnight Rider by Gregg Allman – I imagine this song representing Jean Valjean during the various times he tried to escape from prison.

Undo It by Carrie Underwood – Rather than the wistful sound of “I Dreamed a Dream,” this is the angry Fantine, after Félix Tholomyès has left her behind to face motherhood alone.

Backseat of a Greyhound Bus by Sara Evans – This is about Fantine again, and the affect Cosette’s birth has on her.

Fix You by Coldplay – As Fantine rests in the hospital, Valjean sits next to her bed and contemplates her situation.

As we enter week 14 of the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, the story moves from the Battle of Waterloo back to the more personal stories of Jean Valjean and Cosette. One of the things I noticed as I read the chapters for this week was Hugo’s continued use of star imagery.

Here’s what stood out to me as I was reading:

The ship at the center of the action this week is named Orion, not only the hunter of Greek mythology, but also one of the brightest constellations in the sky.

When Cosette is sent out to fetch water the narrator comments, “However, there was not a single star to be seen in the sky.”

But at her moment of deepest terror in the forest, a star adds to her fright: “Jupiter was setting in the heavens. The child gazed wild-eyed at this huge star that was unfamiliar to her and terrified her. The planet at that moment was actually very close to the horizon and passing through a thick layer of mist that gave it a horrible ruddiness. The gruesomely crimson-tinged mist magnified the star. It was like a luminous wound.”

And when Valjean is walking through the forest toward Montfermeil, “There were scarcely more than two or three stars to be seen in the sky.”

Hugo seems to use star imagery to emphasize the loneliness or abandonment of characters. For instance, way back when Valjean was telling the bishop about his release from prison he said, “I went out into the countryside to sleep under the stars. There were no stars.” And when he was debating about whether or not to turn himself in and save Champmathieu, the narrator comments, “There were no stars in the sky.” And after Valjean’s dream that night, he “rose and went to the window. There were still no stars in the sky.” Finally, after Valjean arrives in Arras and is about to enter the courtroom where Champmathieu was on trial, “The first thing he saw was the door knob. That round knob of polished brass shone for him like some terrible star.”

It seems that the fewer the stars, the worse it is for the characters. But when the sky is full of stars then they are signs of God’s presence and worth contemplating. After all, this was one of the bishop’s favorite spiritual activities:

It seemed to be a kind of ritual for him to prepare for sleep with some contemplative thought in the presence of the spectacular wonders of the nocturnal sky….There he was, by himself, meditative, peaceful, worshipful, comparing the serenity of his heart with the serenity of the heavens, stirred in the darkness by the visible splendor of the constellations and the invisibles splendor of God, opening his soul to thoughts descending from the Unknown….

…what more could anyone wish for? A little garden in which to stroll and boundless space for dreaming. At his feet, what a man may grow and pick, and above his head, what he may study and meditate on: a few flowers in the ground and all the stars in the firmament.

But for Valjean and Cosette, there are few stars in the sky if any. And those they can see are terrifying to behold. The stars seem to signify how much or little they can sense God’s presence. It is as if God has abandoned them–or has at least hidden his presence from them. And both of them are at stages in their lives where they may very well feel abandoned by God.

What do you think? Did you notice Hugo’s use of stars, and what do you make of it? It seems Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil noticed it, since one of the outstanding songs in their musical version of Les Misérables is “Stars.” There, however, I think stars are used in a different way. But we’ll have to talk about that after a few more chapters…

]]>http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/les-miserables-chapter-a-day-read-along-no-stars-in-the-sky/feed46783http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/les-miserables-chapter-a-day-read-along-no-stars-in-the-skyNotes from the Upside Down by Guy Adamshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onecatholiclife/~3/yK1fS3_XjMQ/notes-from-the-upside-down-by-guy-adams
http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/notes-from-the-upside-down-by-guy-adams#respondWed, 04 Apr 2018 11:19:13 +0000nwsenger@gmail.com (Nick Senger)http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/?p=6755If you’re a fan of the Netflix series Stranger Things and you want to know more about what inspired the creators, then you’ll probably like Guy Adams’ Notes from the Upside Down. Adams goes through each episode of the series and discuss the music, TV shows, and movies and that have made their way into the show.

While the book does discuss the plot and characters of Stranger Things, it tends to focus more on introducing readers to the late 70s and early 80s sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. I grew up in the 70s and 80s, so there wasn’t much in the book that was new to me. The writing was ok, but all the unnecessary footnotes became irritating after awhile.

Notes from the Upside Down is a quick read, but is probably better checked out from a library than purchased new unless you’re a super fan.

Discussions about translation, background, and the writing of the novel

Meeting well over a dozen significant characters, including

Monsigneur Bienvenu

Mademoiselle Baptistine

Madame Magloire

Jean Valjean

Petite Gervais

Fantine

Félix Tholomyès

Cosette

The Thenardiers

Javert

Sister Simplice

Champmathieu

Getting far enough into the story to cover the first 40 minutes of the musical, including the following songs:

Look Down (Prologue)

What Have I Done?

At the End of the Day

I Dreamed a Dream

Who Am I?

The Confrontation

As the second quarter of the book begins, we leave Fantine and Waterloo behind and look ahead to the fulfillment of a promise. I hope you’re looking forward to the next ninety-one chapters as much as I am, especially considering we will meet my favorite character.

Speaking of characters, which one from the first ninety-one chapters do you most respond to or connect with? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

]]>http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/les-miserables-chapter-a-day-read-along-25-percent-done/feed46760http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/les-miserables-chapter-a-day-read-along-25-percent-doneLes Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: The Art of Waterloohttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onecatholiclife/~3/knR99-Ae8vM/les-miserables-chapter-a-day-read-along-the-art-of-waterloo
http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/les-miserables-chapter-a-day-read-along-the-art-of-waterloo#commentsMon, 26 Mar 2018 11:02:31 +0000nwsenger@gmail.com (Nick Senger)http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/?p=6744Only four more days until we finish this section on the Battle of Waterloo. One of my favorite things about reading these chapters has been trying to find artwork to go along with the quotes I’ve posted on Twitter. For those who don’t use Twitter, or who might have missed them, here are some of the images I’ve posted:

Battle of Waterloo 1815 by William Sadler

The 28th Regiment at Quatre Bras by Elizabeth Thompson

Scotland Forever by Elizabeth Thompson

Battle of Waterloo. 18th of June 1815 by Clément-Auguste Andrieux

Wellington at Waterloo by Robert Alexander Hillingford

Ohain, from the Panorama of the Battle of Waterloo by Louis Dumoulin

]]>http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/les-miserables-chapter-a-day-read-along-the-art-of-waterloo/feed26744http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/les-miserables-chapter-a-day-read-along-the-art-of-waterlooCries from the Earth by Terry C. Johnstonhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onecatholiclife/~3/iNk0KHm5WQA/cries-from-the-earth-by-terry-c-johnston
http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/cries-from-the-earth-by-terry-c-johnston#respondWed, 21 Mar 2018 03:51:03 +0000nwsenger@gmail.com (Nick Senger)http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/?p=6731My wife’s family is from the Camas Prairie, a beautiful region in North Central Idaho that includes communities like Grangeville, Cottonwood, and Winchester. That same area is the setting for Terry C. Johnston’s Cries from the Earth: The Outbreak of the Nez Perce War and the Battle of White Bird Canyon June 17, 1877. I purchased Johnston’s fictionalized account of the beginning of the Nez Perce war mostly because of its setting, and I hoped the history would come alive because of my familiarity with the area.

Unfortunately, the book was a big disappointment for me. I admire Johnston’s effort to be as historically accurate as possible, but that effort detracted from the narrative. With all the different names and places to fit in, the main thread of the story seemed chopped up into little events with dozens of different characters. There were so many characters that it was difficult for me to identify with any of them, and the story felt more like series of vignettes than a coherent narrative.

I have no doubt that the events took place as Johnston described them, and he worked very hard to show all sides of the conflict, but the people and events were too hard for me to keep track of. It could have used a more streamlined plot and a tighter focus for my taste. Cries from the Earth is number fourteen in Johnston’s Plainsman series, but I don’t think I’ll give any of the other books a try.

The rest of the month of March may be the most challenging portion of the entire Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along. After the dramatic end to Volume I, not only does the narrative shift to a completely different scene, but that shift goes on for nineteen chapters. The characters that the reader has become so invested in are seemingly abandoned for a sixty page account of the Battle of Waterloo. And of course, reading only a chapter a day makes this section last even longer.

All I can say is, if this section is especially difficult for you, hang in there and be patient. Circle March 31st on the calendar, and know that on the eve of Easter we will return to the main narrative.

In the meanwhile, reading these chapters may be easier if you have a concrete picture of the Battle of Waterloo in your mind as you read them. The following video does an excellent job of mapping out the locations of the different military forces involved and animating their movements. It’s about 13 minutes long, but I found it very useful in getting a handle on some of the places and actions of the battle.

And as always, feel free to comment on how your reading is going, especially your frustration with Waterloo or how you might be dealing with these chapters. And if you know of other online resources about the Battle of Waterloo, please share them.

]]>http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/les-miserables-chapter-a-day-read-along-waterloo-and-more-waterloo/feed46724http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/les-miserables-chapter-a-day-read-along-waterloo-and-more-waterlooThese High, Green Hills by Jan Karonhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onecatholiclife/~3/s5Bxn71BefY/these-high-green-hills-by-jan-karon
http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/these-high-green-hills-by-jan-karon#commentsTue, 13 Mar 2018 11:36:05 +0000nwsenger@gmail.com (Nick Senger)http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/?p=6714These High, Green Hills is the third book in Jan Karon’s The Mitford Years series, and I have to admit that I really enjoy these books. I haven’t written about this series before, so rather than review this third book, I will simply say that each of the first three books have the same charm, humor, and uplifting themes. The stories center around Father Tim, pastor of a small Episcopal parish in the fictional village of Mitford, North Carolina. Father Tim is a good man and a good pastor, a model of spiritual leadership. His weaknesses make him endearing to the reader, and his strengths make him a blessing to the town. He is surrounded by a cast of characters that are every bit as interesting as he is, despite living ordinary lives. In fact, Jan Karon has a gift for bringing out the interesting in the ordinary.

As Father Tim reads in These High, Green Hills,

“We look for visions of heaven,” Oswald Chambers had written, “and we never dream that all the time God is in the commonplace things and people around us.”

Jan Karon knows how to reveal God in the commonplace, and after you read any of the Mitford books you are better able to see God in your own commonplace life. For me personally, reading the Mitford books makes me want to be a better person.

You can’t get much more heartwarming than these stories, but I never felt that they lapsed into sugary sentimentality. I read the first book, At Home in Mitford, in 2014 when it was one of my top ten favorites. Here is what I had to say about it at that time:

I absolutely loved reading this book. It was funny, uplifting, and mellow. But most of all, it had the one thing I appreciate most in fiction: characters that I want to get to know. I plan on reading more in the series this year, and if the rest are as good as At Home in Mitford then I may have another favorite series to enjoy for many years to come.

Since reading the next two books my feelings haven’t changed. I have thoroughly enjoyed my three visits to Mitford, and I look forward to visiting again in the near future.

If you have been reading one chapter a day in Les Misérables, then congratulations on reaching Volume II today. It’s been over two months since we started, and we have finally finished the first of the book’s five volumes. I hope you have been pleased by what you have read so far of Hugo’s magnum opus.

Fantine is behind us, Cosette is before us. But before we get back to our little Lark, Hugo will take us on an extended tour of the battlefield of Waterloo. Prepare yourself to read about the battle of Waterloo for the rest of this month. From March 12 to March 30, we will read Hugo’s lengthy description and analysis of Napoleon’s final battle. Why such a long section on a battle that took place months before Jean Valjean was released from prison? Here is what David Bellos has to say:

Making sense of Waterloo was…in Hugo’s mind the only way to make sense of the century his novel aimed to portray and understand, and the only way to explain why despite its defeat France remained the moral and intellectual centre of the world.

Interestingly enough, “The great essay on the battle that launched the great peace of the nineteenth century turns out to have been the last piece of Les Misérables that Hugo wrote — and only just in time.” Hugo wrote this essay just before Volume II was published.

I am looking forward to hearing what Briana Lewis has to say about this section in her Les Misérables Reading Companion podcast. If you’re not listening to it, then you’re missing some great analysis, explanation, and discussion. I highly recommend listening to it as you read along this year.

So what did you think of Volume I: Fantine? What were your favorite parts? Least favorite? How is the read-along going for you so far? Leave a comment below and share your experiences with others.

In light of the Academy Awards show last night, this week we take a different look at Les Misérables, comparing several different film versions. Les Misérables has been filmed dozens of times, and rather than give a full review or summary of the difference versions, I am going to simply give you the same scene from six different films and ask you what you think. I’ve chosen arguably the most famous scene in the book, the Bishop’s Candlesticks, and I’ve tried to find as many versions as are available online. These six versions are from some of the most well-known adaptations of the novel, including the most recent musical adaptation from 2012.

If you’re reading this in your email reader on a phone or tablet, you may need to visit this article in a web browser in order to watch the videos.

Four of the six clips are in English, and two of them are in French (one of which has English subtitles). Take a look and leave your thoughts in the comment section. Which ones seem to capture the essence of the scene as written by Hugo? Which ones most closely match the way you visualized the scene when you were reading it? What other thoughts occur to you as you watch?

…he looked, and he saw that these two stars were the lamps of a carriage. By the light which they emitted, he could distinguish the form of a carriage. It was a tilbury drawn by a small white horse.V1 B7 C4 #LesMisReadalongpic.twitter.com/3nb1AEJBDE

#LesMisReadalong I can’t believe I missed Hugo’s birthday! Fortunately, like me, he’s a February birthday which means we claim the whole month for our celebrations!! So happy festival of Feb Hugo pic.twitter.com/WsGoGf94S5

V1 B7 C5 "Is there any man who, once at least in his life, has not found himself in that blackness of uncertainty? He had resolved nothing, decided nothing, settled nothing." #lesmisreadalongpic.twitter.com/TqFcN0TNR3

I know! All of a sudden, the chapters start getting longer while I'm having a particularly busy week. But I'm caught up as of this morning. And interested in how the story is unfolding. #lesmisreadalong

It’s time for a link-up of reviews of western books for the Wild Wild West Challenge. It’s March already and I didn’t think to make link posts for January and February reviews. If you did read a western for the Wild Wild West 2018 Challenge in January or February, then you can link to your reviews below, along with any books you review in March. Going forward I’ll try to do better at providing linkups at the beginning of each month so you can link to your reviews as you write them.

And if you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, head on over to the Wild Wild West Challenge signup page and join us in reading one of America’s unique contributions to literature, the novel of the American west. The more books you read, the more cowboy/cowgirl accoutrements you earn.

I’ve earned a lasso by reading my first western of the year, a very fine story by William W. Johnstone called The Drifter. I also read a short story called “Buffalo Horns” from The Montanans anthology.

I’ve got nine more westerns on my list for this year, but I’m already looking ahead at next year, since the Kindle editions of several westerns have gone on sale lately. In fact, just Last Sunday I had the chance to pick up the Kindle edition of Ron Hansen’s The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: A Novel for $2.99. Earlier in February I picked up Glory Riders and Mistakes Can Kill You by Louis L’Amour, and Hard Money by Luke Short. Each book was less than two dollars, so I couldn’t pass them up. That’s not helping me decrease the size of my TBR pile, but it is helping to assure another Wild West challenge next year.

As promised, here’s the linkup for any Wild Wild West reviews you’ve written since the beginning of the year, and for any you write in the month of March.

Today is February 26, the birthday of Victor Hugo. On this day 216 years ago, Victor Hugo was born to Joseph Léopold Sigisbert Hugo and Sophie Trébuchet.

More importantly to me, this also happens to be the birthday of both my mother, Mrs. Senger, and my wife, Dr. Senger, two people who mean much more to me than Victor Hugo ever could. Happily, both are participating in the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along. So if you are feeling deprived of the ability to wish Victor Hugo a happy birthday, please feel free to send felicitations to Dr. Senger and Mrs. Senger in a comment!

I find it very interesting that the chapter scheduled for today in the read-along (Volume 1, Book 7, Chapter 3: A Storm in the Mind) is perhaps one of the greatest chapters in the entire book. It is certainly one of my personal favorites, and I wonder if you liked it as well. The sea and star imagery makes its appearance once again, and the inner conflict Madeleine goes through is agonizing. I find this chapter to be a simply brilliant piece of writing.

Is it too much to think that, since Hugo wrote the book to have exactly 365 chapters, he would have deliberately planned that this chapter be read on his birthday? I wonder if there are any other chapters that fall on coincidental dates.

In any case, to commemorate Hugo’s birthday, here are a few interesting facts about his birth and life:

When Victor was 19 years old, his father wrote to him “that he had been conceived on one of the highest peaks in the Vosges Mountains, on a journey from Lunéville to Besançon. ‘This elevated origin,’ he went on, ‘seems to have had effects on you so that your muse is now continually sublime.'”

“Hugo was born on 26 February 1802, but because he was a slightly premature baby, he always believed he had been conceived on 24 June 1801. Valjean’s prison number on his first incarceration at Toulon is 24601.” – David Bellos, The Novel of the Century

Victor married Adèle Foucher in 1822, and they had five children.

Perhaps the greatest tragedy of Victor Hugo’s life was the death of his beloved daughter Léopoldine in 1843 at the age of 19. Léopoldine drowned when her boat overturned and her heavy skirts pulled her down. What makes her tragic death even more heartbreaking is that she was pregnant at the time and her husband Charles also drowned trying to save her and their unborn child.

Four years after Léopoldine’s death, Hugo wrote what would become one of France’s most famous poems, “Demain, dès l’aube” (“Tomorrow, at Dawn”). In the poem, Hugo describes a visit to Léopoldine’s grave. Here it is in translation:

Tomorrow, at dawn, at the hour when the countryside whitens,
I will set out. You see, I know that you wait for me.
I will go by the forest, I will go by the mountain.
I can no longer remain far from you.

I will walk with my eyes fixed on my thoughts,
Seeing nothing of outdoors, hearing no noise
Alone, unknown, my back curved, my hands crossed,
Sorrowed, and the day for me will be as the night.

I will not look at the gold of evening which falls,
Nor the distant sails going down towards Harfleur,
And when I arrive, I will place on your tomb
A bouquet of green holly and of flowering heather.

Hugo fought a lifelong battle to abolish the death penalty, for which he was internationally renowned.

He also founded the Association Littéraire et Artistique Internationale, an associated dedicated to protecting writers’ and artists’ rights. Under’s Hugo’s urging, the association’s work led to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, an international agreement governing copyright.

Hugo wrote the libretto to Bertin’s opera La Esmerelda, which was based on the character from Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

We’re two months into the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, eight full weeks. We’re still in Volume One: Fantine, and this week we finished Book Five: The Descent, we read Book Six: Javert, and we began Book Seven: The Champmathieu Affair.

Here are a few examples what people had to say about these chapters on Twitter:

#LesMisReadalong I must try to balance my reading and not let Victor Hugo just waltz into my life, demand his morning coffee and crosisant! There is Le Monde out there! What do you read to balance your reading hours? #amreading 'River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze' (P. Hessler) pic.twitter.com/XHM5xatM79

Funny how Hugo's observation is still so true in the USA today: "Our society is governed by the precepts of Jesus Christ but is not yet imbued with them." (V1, B5, C11) #LesMisReadalongpic.twitter.com/IFIgX5XJ5r

V1 B5 C11 #lesmisreadalongThere is a class of young men…they belong to the great species of neuters, the geldings, parasites, nonentities who own a little land, a little silliness, & a little wit….The provincial fop wore longer spurs & a bushier moustache. pic.twitter.com/n9X45W4UtY

"The mustache in those days was the hallmark of the civilian, the spurs were the mark of a pedestrian. The provincial fop wore longer spurs and a bushier mustache." (V1, B5, C12) #LesMisReadalongpic.twitter.com/acuWZZPVgl

V1 B5 C13 #lesmisreadalong The angel had won, & what caused her to tremble from head to foot was the fact that rescuing angel was the man she abhorred, the abominable mayor whom for so long she had regarded as the author of her troubles. pic.twitter.com/YvgIfBbwCq

This passage on a dandy reminds me of Fashion as Communication. I think it might add a historical note to fashion, but this is also similar to giving fancy names of nobles to poorer children (Mme. Thenadier), which Hugo described in Book 4. (V1, B5, C12) #lesmisreadalongpic.twitter.com/lZmAyJa4sG

Finally, one of the Les Mis songs came to mind as I read V1, B6, C2. It's not the exact contents, but these are the events that lead to the song in the musical.Who Am I? Les Miserables 2012 https://t.co/wFTNPOp0Pc#lesmisreadalong

]]>http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/lesmisreadalong-on-twitter-week-8-highlights/feed06646http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/lesmisreadalong-on-twitter-week-8-highlightsThe Red House Mystery by A.A. Milnehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onecatholiclife/~3/G_ThvoPCz6Y/the-red-house-mystery-by-a-a-milne
http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/the-red-house-mystery-by-a-a-milne#commentsSat, 24 Feb 2018 01:05:46 +0000nwsenger@gmail.com (Nick Senger)http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/?p=6636The Red House Mystery is a locked-room cozy mystery written by A.A. Milne, most famous for creating the lovable character Winnie-the-Pooh. It is the only mystery Milne ever wrote, and he explains why he wrote it in the dedication to his father, John Vine Milne:

Like all really nice people, you have a weakness for detective stories, and feel that there are not enough of them. So, after all that you have done for me, the least that I can do for you is write you one. Here it is: with more gratitude and affection than I can well put down here.

And a very fine detective story it is. Written during the Golden Age of crime fiction, it is very much in the same vein as an Agatha Christie mystery, and anyone who likes classic whodunnits will enjoy this light read. Like most cozies, there is not much character development, but the mystery is interesting and the story moves along quickly. Here’s a summary from the publisher:

Milne takes readers to the Red House, a comfortable residence in the placid English countryside that is the bachelor home of Mr. Mark Ablett. While visiting this cozy retreat, amateur detective Anthony Gillingham and his chum, Bill Beverley, investigate their genial host’s disappearance and its connection with a mysterious shooting. Was the victim, whose body was found after a heated exchange with the host, shot in an act of self-defense? If so, why did the host flee, and if not, what drove him to murder?

I have been wanting to read The Red House Mystery since about 1995, when an eighth grade student named Christine first told me about it. At that time I was teaching eighth grade language arts and students were required to read books on their own and write brief recommendations on 3×5 recipe cards for other students to use when choosing a new book. Christine wrote a brief but glowing recommendation of the book, but she also made it a point to personally tell me how much she loved it.

After trying to find it in used book stores over the years, I was happy to see that Mysterious Press published it in an inexpensive Kindle edition. One of the great things about Mysterious Press is that they work with Open Road Media to publish their digital editions. As the Mysterious Press website puts it,

Working in conjunction with Open Road Integrated Media, this 21st-century publishing house will take books from some of the most distinguished crime, mystery and suspense writers in the world, and offer them in digital reading formats. And we’re maintaining our commitment to quality – our books will be carefully formatted, expertly proofread, and will be accompanied by professionally-designed covers.

Just when the idea occurred to her that she was being murdered she could not tell.

Card: 9

Anthology: The October Country

Story: “The Small Assassin,” 1946

“The Small Assassin” is one of Ray Bradbury’s darkest and most disturbing stories, at least to my mind. When Alice Leiber almost dies giving birth to her baby boy, she is convinced that the baby is trying to kill her. Her husband and doctor don’t believe her–at least at first.

I’m not sure exactly why this story disturbed me so much, but it definitely creeped me out. It reminded me of an episode of The Twilight Zone or Night Gallery. This is the fourth story I’ve read this year from The October Country, and all of them have been top notch.

“The Small Assassin” was originally published in Dime Mystery Magazine in November, 1946.

My Rating: ⭑⭑⭑⭑✩

]]>http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/deal-me-in-story-8-the-small-assassin-by-ray-bradbury/feed06584http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/deal-me-in-story-8-the-small-assassin-by-ray-bradburyDeal Me In Story #7: The Learned Adventure of the Dragon’s Head by Dorothy Sayershttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onecatholiclife/~3/OB3DEupBpMo/deal-me-in-story-7-the-learned-adventure-of-the-dragons-head-by-dorothy-sayers
http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/deal-me-in-story-7-the-learned-adventure-of-the-dragons-head-by-dorothy-sayers#commentsWed, 21 Feb 2018 12:36:31 +0000nwsenger@gmail.com (Nick Senger)http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/?p=6581

I don’t think he’s a very nice man. I hate people who ask you to decline nouns for them.

Card Drawn: 9

Anthology: Lord Peter Views the Body

Story: “The Learned Adventure of the Dragon’s Head,” 1928

Illustration from Munster’s Cosmographia Universalis: “Uncle, there’s a funny man here, with a great long nose and ears and a tail and dogs’ heads all over is body.”

It’s taken seven weeks, but I finally drew a club, the suit I’ve assigned to Lord Peter Views the Body by Dorothy Sayers. I don’t know if I’ve ever read anything by Dorothy Sayers that I haven’t liked, and I’ve been looking forward to this anthology since the year began. Her stories featuring Lord Peter Wimsey are among my favorite mysteries, and I’m excited to have an entire collection as part of the 2018 Deal Me In Short Story Challenge. I’ve read six novels in the fifteen-book series, but this is the first time I’ve tried a set of her short stories.

Lord Peter Views the Body is the fourth book Sayers released featuring the debonair Lord Peter, the archetype of the gentleman detective. The first three books in the series are Whose Body? (1923), Clouds of Witness (1926), and Unnatural Death (1927).

“The Learned Adventure of the Dragon’s Head” was just as enjoyable as I hoped it would be. It wasn’t a murder mystery but was more of a puzzle to solve for Lord Peter and his ten-year-old nephew Viscount St. George. The story revolves around Munster’s Cosmographia Universalis, “a very old book,” as Lord Peter describes it when they see it in Mr. Ffolliott’s used book shop. The young St. George is fascinated with it because of its illustrations and asks his Uncle Peter if he could use his pocket-money to buy it. His purchase sets him and Lord Peter on an unexpected adventure involving maps, dragons, and hidden treasure.

This story reminded me of one of my favorite books from last year, Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M.R. James. Not that there were any ghosts or supernatural creatures in it, but the setting and the ancient book was reminiscent of James’ style of storytelling. All in all, “The Learned Adventure of the Dragon’s Head” is a promising start to this Lord Peter collection.

I first read Captain Alatriste by Arturo Pérez-Reverte twelve years ago, and it didn’t make much of an impact on me then. It was the third book in a row I had read by Pérez-Reverte, following The Club Dumas and The Fencing Master, and I think I was anxious to move on to something else and didn’t give it a fair chance. So I was very happy to receive a paperback copy for Christmas as part of LibraryThing’s SantaThing program.

The first action-packed historical adventure in the internationally acclaimed Captain Alatriste series, featuring a Spanish soldier who lives as a swordsman-for-hire in 17th century Madrid.

Needing gold to pay off his debts, Captain Alatriste and another hired blade are paid to ambush two travelers, stage a robbery, and give the travelers a fright. “No blood,” they are told.

Then a mysterious stranger enters to clarify the job: he increases the pay, and tells Alatriste that, instead, he must murder the two travelers. When the attack unfolds, Alatriste realizes that these aren’t ordinary travelers, and what happens next is only the first in a riveting series of twists and turns, with implications that will reverberate throughout the courts of Europe…

I did not remember anything about the characters or plot from the first time I read the book, so I came into the story fresh and excited for a swashbuckling adventure. And that it certainly was. I loved the historical setting, the descriptions of the sword fights, and the political intrigue. Narrated in first person by Captain Alatriste’s squire Íñigo Balboa y Aguirre, the story moves quickly from chapter to chapter.

Having recently finished Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas, it was hard to resist comparing the two. Both stories take place in roughly the same era and feature swordsmen involved in political intrigue. However, there is an elegance in Dumas that is lacking in Captain Alatriste, and Pérez-Reverte writes a darker story with characters who are not as sympathetic. Neither the captain nor his squire are as personable as D’Artagnan or any of his fellow musketeers. And the plot of Captain Alatriste is basically one of survival rather than any kind of active quest or mission.

The main problem for me besides its dark characters was that it seemed to be mostly concerned with setting up the rest of the series. There were a lot of digressions to explain Alatriste’s character, but the main plot of the novel was pretty sparse.

Still, the story was entertaining, and it had some great moments. I’m not sure I would actively seek out the sequel, Purity of Blood, but if I ever saw it for a good price at a used bookstore or on discount as a Kindle edition, then I would probably pick it up.

One final note: Pérez-Reverte’s books are always beautifully designed, and Captain Alatriste is no exception. From the cover to the typeset, the physical characteristics of the book add to the reader’s experience, and I’m glad I read this book in paperback rather than on my Kindle.

As we enter the eighth week of the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, we arrive at the 50th chapter of the book. From The Bishop of Digne to Jean Valjean, from Fantine to the Thénardiers, we have seen light and darkness, gardens and stars, shipwrecks and collapsed carts. And there is still so much more to come.

The last few chapters have focused on the figure of Fantine and her sad fate, and in this 50th chapter Hugo summarizes her life:

At the point we have now reached in this painful tragedy, there is nothing left of the Fantine she once was.

Here the reader’s heart breaks. Fantine has endured shame and disgrace, has worked tirelessly to make enough money to support herself and her daughter, all to no avail. She had two treasures left, her golden hair and her white teeth. She has sacrificed them both for the sake of her ultimate treasure, her daughter Cosette, whom she mistakenly believes to be in dire straits. But Fantine’s sacrifices are not enough. She must sacrifice still more. She sells herself as a prostitute. Fantine is now truly one of les misérables.

Remember “the monstrous waters” that overwhelmed Jean Valjean and all convicts? Here they overtake Fantine, but she is beyond caring:

Let the whole rain-cloud come down on her and the entire ocean sweep over her! What does she care? She is a saturated sponge.

In today’s chapter Hugo pauses the narrative to comment on her situation–and to place blame:

What is this story of Fantine about? It is about society buying a slave.
From whom? From wretchedness.
From hunger, cold, isolation, neglect, destitution. A hard bargain. A soul for a morsel of bread. Society accepts what wretchedness offers.

Who is to blame? We are.

Like Jean Valjean, Fantine has made mistakes: giving herself to a man like Tholomyès; leaving her daughter with the Thénardiers; getting into debt. Fantine’s situation is the result of her own choices and actions. Why then does Hugo place the blame on society and not on Fantine? Some might say she is getting what she deserves.

But if you follow this blog, you know that I recently finished reading Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. A quote from his book seems particularly apt here:

Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.

Yes, Fantine made poor choices. Yes, she made mistakes. But that is no reason to abandon her to a life of degradation and misery. She is still a human being. What she needs is help. What she needs is guidance.

What she needs is mercy.

Instead she gets the self-righteousness of Madame Victurnien, who uses Fantine’s situation to puff herself up while at the same time casting Fantine into the “monstrous waters.”

Today’s world is full of Fantines and Valjeans, men and women who have made mistakes and are suffering because of them. It is tempting to cast them aside, blaming them for their own fate, feeling no responsibility for them.

But that is not the way of Jesus.

As I write this, today is Monday of the first week of Lent. All over the world, Catholics who attend Mass today will hear these words from the Gospel according to Matthew:

‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Those of us who call ourselves Christian ought to have no doubt about how to respond when we encounter people in situations similar to Fantine. But, as Hugo says, “The sacred law of Jesus Christ governs our civilization but does not yet pervade it.” How tragically true that is, even in our time. Prostitution still exists. Poverty still exists. Human trafficking exists. The opioid crisis exists. School violence exists.

As we continue to follow the story of Fantine, Cosette, and the rest of les misérables, Hugo compels us, the members of society, to question our own role in allowing such social evils to continue.

It’s been seven weeks since we started the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, and the discussion on Twitter is more interesting than ever. Several people are exploring the background of the book and its author Victor Hugo, and they’re sharing their discoveries with the rest of us. Others are tweeting about the reading experience and how it’s affecting them. You can check out the conversation at #LesMisReadalong. You don’t even need a Twitter account to follow along.

For those of you who may have missed it on Twitter, Briana Lewis has begun the Les Misérables Reading Companion Podcast. Briana is “Associate Professor of French at Allegheny College. I’ve been teaching, researching, and writing on Victor Hugo and Les Misérables since the mid-’00s. I’ve been podcasting since…. just now, when I started this podcast. ” Briana plans on 60 episodes and is currently on episode 8. I’ve listened to about half of episode 8, but I’m very impressed with what I’ve heard so far. Not only is the commentary interesting and relevant, but Briana also provides extras like a Google map of locations in the novel. Plus, you can hear how the names of places and names are actually pronounced! I especially appreciate that Briana is keeping the commentary spoiler-free.

I find it a wonderful instance of what Hugo calls Providence that Briana’s podcast coincides with our chapter-a-day read-along. Be sure to give it a listen. Each episode is about 35-40 minutes long, and you can listen to it on the web, on iTunes, on Stitcher, or on Google Play.

Got a copy from the library that I'm hoping to keep all year with their extremely generous renewal policy. "The supreme happiness of life consists in the conviction that one is loved; loved for one's own sake – let us say rather, loved in spite of one's self." #LesMisReadalongpic.twitter.com/9ymKBpCCOp

"The peasants of Asturias are convinced that in every she-wolf’s litter there is one dog, which is killed by the mother because otherwise as it grew up it would eat the rest of her young. Give this son-of-a-wolf dog a human face, and you have Javert." V1,B5,C5 #lesmisreadalongpic.twitter.com/NpO2IRoUuJ

Started reading "The Novel of the Century" by David Bellos today. From the Intro: "[Les Misérables] is a work of reconciliation – between the classes, but also between the conflicting currents that turn our own lives into storms…" #LesMisReadalong (1 of 2)

Fauchelevent: "He had watched the rise of the humble day-laborer… and, consumed with jealousy, had done what he could to injure Madeleine whenever the chance arose." (V1, B5, C6) #LesMisReadalongpic.twitter.com/ItgyDi9cKQ

"The poor cannot go to the far end of their rooms or to the far end of their lives, except by continually bending more and more." I don't want to keep reading Les Mis but I don't want to stop reading Les Mis. #LesMiserables#lesmisreadalong#hugotheheartbreaker

On gossips: "Some people are malicious from the mere necessity of talking. Their conversation … is like those fireplaces that rapidly burn up wood; they need a great deal of fuel; the fuel is their neighbor" Les Miserables (P1, B5, C8). #lesmisreadalong

"If I only sleep 5 hours a night and work the rest of the time I can just about earn enough to live on. And when you're unhappy you eat less. So what with work and not much food on the one hand, and grieving on the other, I can keep alive." (V1, B5, C9) #LesMisReadalongpic.twitter.com/Mx7sSBCNHA

Her beautiful hair fell below her waist. "What beautiful hair!" exclaimed the barber. "How much will you give me for it?" said she. "Ten francs." "Cut it off."She bought a knit skirt and sent it to the Thénardiers.V1 B5 C10 #LesMisReadalongpic.twitter.com/mq2FhzdDCG

]]>http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/lesmisreadalong-on-twitter-week-7-highlights-and-a-les-mis-podcast/feed06576http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/lesmisreadalong-on-twitter-week-7-highlights-and-a-les-mis-podcastRumpole and the Golden Thread by John Mortimerhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onecatholiclife/~3/ts3DFJQy5Ow/rumpole-and-the-golden-thread-by-john-mortimer
http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/rumpole-and-the-golden-thread-by-john-mortimer#commentsSat, 17 Feb 2018 15:53:53 +0000nwsenger@gmail.com (Nick Senger)http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/?p=6568I first heard of the TV series Rumpole of the Bailey about twenty years ago when my friend Mike and I were talking about one of my favorite 1980s movies, Ladyhawke. Mike told me that the cantankerous monk in Ladyhawke was played by one of his favorite actors, Leo McKern, who also played the cantankerous barrister Horace Rumpole. To this day, Mike is still a big fan of Rumpole of the Bailey, having watched all the episodes on VHS multiple times, and having read all the stories in print. I, on the other hand, have yet to see a complete episode of the TV series. But I trust Mike’s taste in British mysteries, so when I saw Rumpole and the Golden Thread in a used bookstore I picked it up and put it on my to-be-read bookshelf, where it has languished for a couple of decades. Until now, that is. Thanks to a couple of reading challenges, I’ve finally taken it off the shelf and read it.

Rumpole and the Golden Thread is a collection of six stories adapted from season three of the TV series:

“Rumple and the Genuine Article”

“Rumpole and the Golden Thread”

“Rumple and the Old Boy Net”

“Rumpole and the Female of the Species”

“Rumpole and the Sporting Life”

“Rumpole and the Last Resort”

As I was reading the book, I didn’t realize that the stories were originally teleplays. Not knowing much about Rumpole, I had assumed that the TV shows were based on the books, and not vice versa. I’m glad I didn’t know ahead of time, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have even bought the book. I’ve not been impressed with book adaptations of movies or TV series, but Rumpole and the Golden Thread proved to be a pleasant exception.

The stories were every bit as literate as the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries by Dorothy Sayers, but with a lot more humor. Sometimes, though, they felt a bit padded and formulaic, which, I suppose, is a sign of their TV origins. They typically began with a setup of the mystery and concluded with a trial in which the mystery was revealed. I was often impatient with the side plots and the humor, wanting to get to the trial scenes. I can take a certain amount of British humor (Monty Python or The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, for instance), but after awhile it got a bit repetitious.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed this introduction to Rumpole. I liked the colorful characters and the clever mysteries, and I would probably read another book in the series if it came my way. I’d even like to see a few episodes of the TV series eventually.

Not only is it a compelling story well told, it is also a tremendously important book for America. Here’s how the publisher describes it:

Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machinations, and legal brinksmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.

Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of justice.

The stories in Stevenson’s book are truly heart-wrenching, and they challenge the reader to see criminals and the criminal justice system in an entirely new light. His book fits squarely within the Catholic Church’s call to do away with the death penalty and reform the justice system. Pope St. John Paul II, Popes Benedict and Francis, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have all spoken a consistent message in recent years, to say nothing of the untiring work of Sr. Helen Prejean. Here’s just one example of the Church’s understanding of criminal justice from the USCCB that dovetails with the message of Stevenson’s Just Mercy:

Justice includes more than punishment. It must include mercy and restoration. A simplistic punitive approach to justice can leave victims of crime with feelings of neglect, abandonment and anger making reconciliation and healing difficult. A restorative justice approach is more comprehensive and addresses the needs of victims, the community and those responsible for causing harm through healing, education, rehabilitation and community support.

In their 2000 pastoral statement, Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice, the Bishops stated, “Just as God never abandons us, so too we must be in covenant with one another. We are all sinners, and our response to sin and failure should not be abandonment and despair, but rather justice, contrition, reparation, and return or reintegration of all into the community.”

Now compare that with a few quotes from Just Mercy:

The closer we get to mass incarceration and extreme levels of punishment, the more I believe it’s necessary to recognize that we all need mercy, we all need justice, and—perhaps—we all need some measure of unmerited grace.

the death penalty is not about whether people deserve to die for the crimes they commit. The real question of capital punishment in this country is, Do we deserve to kill?

…mercy is just when it is rooted in hopefulness and freely given. Mercy is most empowering, liberating, and transformative when it is directed at the undeserving.

Lent has just begun, and one of its purposes is to call us to metanoia, to change our hearts. Do yourself a favor this Lent and read Just Mercy. It will change your heart.

]]>http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/just-mercy-a-story-of-justice-and-redemption-by-bryan-stevenson/feed26549http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/just-mercy-a-story-of-justice-and-redemption-by-bryan-stevensonLes Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: Illustrations by Émile Bayardhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onecatholiclife/~3/oZcQk1Wt7AQ/les-miserables-chapter-a-day-read-along-illustrations-by-emile-bayard
http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/les-miserables-chapter-a-day-read-along-illustrations-by-emile-bayard#commentsMon, 12 Feb 2018 12:10:18 +0000nwsenger@gmail.com (Nick Senger)http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/?p=6520When Les Misérables was first published in 1862, it was illustrated by Émile Bayard, whose rendering of little Cosette perfectly captures the essence of what Hugo means by les misérables. To me it’s mostly in the eyes and the tiny mouth, but the massive broom in her hands as she sweeps adds to the sadness. Bayard’s image of Cosette’s face is known the world over, thanks to the Cameron Mackintosh musical, as it was adapted and used in countless promotional posters, advertisements, album covers–almost anything connected with the musical.

But Bayard created dozens of other illustrations for the novel, many of which you’ve already seen if you’ve been following the read-along here at One Catholic Life or on Twitter. I love his illustrations and will continue to use them as we make our way through the book. For this week’s post I’m recapping some of my favorite images so far, along with a few I didn’t get the chance to use. Do you have a favorite among them? All of the following images illustrate scenes from the first forty-two chapters of the book–no spoilers, now!

Here we at the end of Week 6 of the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, and the story is really beginning to move. We’ve read forty-two chapters so far–about 170 pages–and this past week we were introduced to some of the most important characters in the book. It’s still not too late to join in the fun, simply download the reading schedule and do what you can to catch up. Speaking of joining in, we welcome Laura Roberts who jumped in this past week, as you can see below in the highlights from last week’s Twitter conversation at #LesMisReadalong:

Favourite:"Soon loved, soon gone. That is the story." [Wilbour]"No sooner is he gone than he is loved. This is an adventure, indeed." [Hapgood]"So soon as he has left me I am beginning to grow fond of him; the old story." [Wraxall]V1 B3 C9 #LesMisReadalongpic.twitter.com/zn5r52IyRy

I've been writing a quote from each chapter on each day of the month I was *supposed* to read it, in order to catch up. Isn't it funny how the entirety of Fantine Book 1 is actually about M. Bienvenue – and Fantine hasn't even been introduced yet? #LesMisReadalongpic.twitter.com/HoALystalR

"…had she stood upright [she] might perhaps have scared the traveller from the outset, undermined her trustfulness and forestalled what we have to relate. Someone sitting instead of standing–destinies hang on this." V1, B4, C1 #LesMisReadalongpic.twitter.com/sJ8xxnOd7u

Hooray! I am finally all caught up on the #LesMisReadalong as of this morning. Happy to see Fantine FINALLY arrive on the scene in Book 3, Chapter 2… too bad Tholomyes is such an obvious scoundrel; "wrinkled and toothless" should've given her a clue to avoid him! pic.twitter.com/sFneiCgwCx

V1B4C2 #lesmisreadalong Thenardiers "They belonged to that indeterminate layer of society, sandwiched between the middle & lower classes, which consists of riff-raff who have risen in the world & more cultivated persons who have sunk, & which combines the worst qualities of both" pic.twitter.com/j4ukU5MFz1

"It was a heart-breaking thing to see in winter, this poor child, not yet six years old, shivering in her tattered old rags of coarse cloth, sweeping the street before daylight with an enormous broom in her tiny red hands and a teardrop in those big eyes." V1B4C3 #lesmisreadalongpic.twitter.com/K3VuugDZL0

In the place she was called the Lark. People like figurative names and were pleased thus to name this little being, not larger than a bird, trembling, frightened, and shivering….Only the poor Lark never sang.V1 B4 C3 #LesMisReadalong

It's interesting to me that Cosette is the character who appears on the book's cover in many editions, and yet one would assume that Fantine is our heroine/main character, based on the fact that hers are the opening volumes of this book… #LesMisReadalong

V1B5C2 #lesmisreadalong But M. Madeleine refused to accept the Grand Cross (Chevalier of the legion d'honneur). Decidedly the man was an enigma. The know-alls saved their faces by saying, 'Well anyway he's up to something.' pic.twitter.com/kKy6BVI5FH

]]>http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/lesmisreadalong-on-twitter-week-6-highlights/feed06513noThere are millions of Catholic stories in the world, and you've just stumbled across mine.Nick SengerBooks and Reading • Faith and Preaching • Life and Livingcatholic,deacon,homilies,homily,catechist,sermonhttp://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/lesmisreadalong-on-twitter-week-6-highlightshttp://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Les-Miserables-Chapter-a-Day-Reading-Schedule-2018.pdfDeal Me in Stories #5 and #6: Two Bradbury Tales from The October Countryhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onecatholiclife/~3/glRdj80Xmy8/deal-me-in-stories-5-and-6-two-bradbury-tales-from-the-october-country
http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/deal-me-in-stories-5-and-6-two-bradbury-tales-from-the-october-country#respondSun, 11 Feb 2018 03:06:01 +0000nwsenger@gmail.com (Nick Senger)http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/?p=6499

Card Drawn: 3

Anthology: The October Country by Ray Bradbury

Story: “The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse,” 1954

When we first meet George Garvey he is nothing at all. Later he’ll wear a white poker chip monocle, with a blue eye painted on it by Matisse himself. Later, a golden bird cage might trill within George Garvey’s false leg, and his good left hand might possibly be fashioned of shimmering copper and jade.

But at the beginning–gaze upon a terrifyingly ordinary man.

So begins “The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse” by Ray Bradbury. To what length is an ordinary man willing to go in order to be interesting? That is the question facing George Garvey once he gets a taste of what it feels like to have people talk about him, pay attention to him, and spend time with him. George is a dull man who, through an accident, becomes the center of “the wildest avant-garde literary movement in history!”

It took a bit of extra effort to get into this story, and at first it didn’t really grab me. After spending some more time with it, however, it grew on me. Though it feels a little dated–like an episode of Get Smart–it’s still an effective commentary on popularity and being interesting. George Garvey has a lot in common with people on so called reality TV shows, albeit in a little more gruesome way, in true Bradbury fashion.

“The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse” was originally published in Beyond Fantasy Fiction in March, 1954.

My Rating: ⭑⭑⭑⭑✩

Card Drawn: 10

Anthology: The October Country by Ray Bradbury

Story: “The Crowd,” 1943

…there’s a universal law about accidents. Crowds gather. They always gather. And like you and me, people have wondered year after year, why they gathered so quickly, and how? I know the answer. Here it is!

Poor Mr. Spallner. He has the worst luck when it comes to car accidents. Good thing there are always people near by to gather around and help, right? Right? They are helpful, aren’t they?

“The Crowd” is another creepy tale from Bradbury’s prolific imagination. Yet again, Bradbury takes events from ordinary life and puts his particular spin on them to comment on modern life. I liked this story more than “The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse” because it had a more timeless quality and was a bit more eerie.

“The Crowd” was originally published in Weird Tales in May, 1943.

My Rating: ⭑⭑⭑⭑✩

]]>http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/deal-me-in-stories-5-and-6-two-bradbury-tales-from-the-october-country/feed06499http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/deal-me-in-stories-5-and-6-two-bradbury-tales-from-the-october-countryClassics Club #19: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnetthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onecatholiclife/~3/dS1Ube3R2vQ/classics-club-19-the-secret-garden-by-frances-hodgson-burnett
http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/classics-club-19-the-secret-garden-by-frances-hodgson-burnett#commentsSat, 10 Feb 2018 16:03:09 +0000nwsenger@gmail.com (Nick Senger)http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/?p=6491The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a gem of a book. It’s one of those magical stories that book lovers appreciate in a special way. Not that it’s about books or reading, but it’s the kind of story that reveals itself and its characters slowly and gently, as only a book can. It’s about growing up and discovering the healing power of life. It’s a book for children of all ages, like The Wind in the Willows or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

The story centers on Mary Lennox, a self absorbed ten-year-old British girl who lives in India. When a cholera epidemic strikes she is orphaned and placed in the care of an uncle she has never met who lives on the mysterious Misselthwaite Manor, a large estate near the moors of Yorkshire. Just as neglected in England as she was in India, Mary passes the time trying to solve two mysteries: What is the source of the strange crying sound that she hears within the house? And are the rumors of a hidden garden true? Her search to find the answers leads to growth and healing not only for Mary but also for other important characters on the estate.

The Secret Garden is a life-affirming book about the restorative power of work, nature, and companionship. Peopled with interesting characters like the reclusive Archibald Craven, the gardener Ben Weatherstaff, the servant Martha, and especially the magical boy Dickon, The Secret Garden is a classic not to be missed.

I’ve been out of town at an event called CSMG18 for several days, and I’m pretty exhausted after the full days we’ve had. But in all the busyness I’ve stayed on track with the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, and in fact I’ve noticed a few areas of synchronicity between the book and the conference. Victor Hugo might even call them moments of Providence. First of all, let me explain where I am and why I’m here. Then I’ll try to make the connection to Les Misérables.

What is CSMG18?

The Catholic Social Ministry Gathering is an annual event organized by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C. Here’s how the USCCB describes it:

A central annual opportunity for U.S. leaders in Catholic social action to network, advocate for social justice, and form emerging leaders in service to the Church and society. The Gathering builds solidarity, knowledge, and practical skills among attendees who live and share the Church’s social mission for the common good and the evangelization of the world.

This is my first time attending the event, and I have to say it’s been incredibly impressive. We’ve heard from outstanding speakers like Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio Elizondo of Seattle, WA, Bishop Frank Dewane of Venice, Florida, David Brooks and Mark Shields of PBS Newshour, and a host of other outstanding social ministry leaders.

Session topics have included such current issues as “Solidarity in Our Common Home,” “The Sin of Racism in Our Society,” “Finding God in a Throwaway Culture,” and “Restorative Justice in Parish Life.”

The gathering will culminate on Tuesday when “Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, will accompany us to Capitol Hill to bring issues that affect those who are poor and most vulnerable to members of Congress.”

The Les Misérables Connection

In many ways, I feel like this Catholic social ministry gathering is a living embodiment of what Victor Hugo tried to do with Les Misérables. You might recall this quote from a letter he wrote that I shared in the preparatory article for the read-along:

I want to destroy human inevitability. I condemn slavery, I chase out poverty, I instruct ignorance, I treat illness, I light up the night, I hate hatred. That is what I am and that is why I have written The Wretched [Les Misérables]. As I see it, The Wretched is nothing other than a book having fraternity as its foundation and progress as its summit.

This is the purpose for which Victor Hugo wrote Les Misérables, and it could also be said about the purpose of Catholic social ministry. Both have as their goal to affirm the God-given dignity of the marginalized and to lift up the downtrodden.

They both also recognize that les misérables do not get to be that way because they are lazy, but rather because there are systemic societal conditions that perpetuate poverty and injustice. There are still Jean Valjeans and Fantines in today’s world–people who make mistakes and whom some would prefer to cast off as worthless burdens on society.

Fortunately, there are also Monsigneur Bienvenus in today’s world, people who look past a person’s mistake and see a fellow child of God, who do not turn others away because they have made poor choices when they were young or in desperate circumstances. I have seen many of these “Bishops of Digne” at the podium this week at CSMG18, people like the founders of Living Hope Wheelchair Association, a non-profit organization serving people with spinal cord injuries who are not entitled to benefits or who have lost medical insurance.

Not only were there modern-day icons of mercy at the podium, but they also walked the halls of the conference, five hundred attendees here in Washington, D.C., from all walks of life and from multiple cultural backgrounds. Can you imagine it? Five hundred Bishops of Digne learning how to better advocate for the poor and the marginalized, and taking their advocacy skills back home with them to every corner of the country. I am humbled to be here with them.

Victor Hugo never shied away from speaking out against the death penalty or calling for free education for all children, and on Tuesday we take our message to Capitol Hill where we are scheduled to meet with our congresspersons.

I never dreamed when I decided to host this read-along that the novel would come to life so concretely for me.

Are you seeing any connections between Les Misérables and your life? If so, how? If not, I encourage you to keep looking for connections as the read-along continues.

And if you’ve not yet joined us, it’s still not too late! Just ask Laura at ButtonTapper Press. She found us yesterday and realized it doesn’t take too long to catch up. Just download the pdf schedule and catch up when you can. Follow the conversation on Twitter if you want, leave comments here at One Catholic Life, or simply read the book on your own.

]]>http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/les-miserables-chapter-a-day-read-along-personal-connections/feed16473noThere are millions of Catholic stories in the world, and you've just stumbled across mine.Nick SengerBooks and Reading • Faith and Preaching • Life and Livingcatholic,deacon,homilies,homily,catechist,sermonhttp://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/les-miserables-chapter-a-day-read-along-personal-connectionshttp://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Les-Miserables-Chapter-a-Day-Reading-Schedule-2018.pdf#LesMisReadalong on Twitter: Week 5 Highlightshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onecatholiclife/~3/PECzGsycoZc/lesmisreadalong-on-twitter-week-5-highlights
http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/lesmisreadalong-on-twitter-week-5-highlights#respondSun, 04 Feb 2018 13:02:58 +0000nwsenger@gmail.com (Nick Senger)http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/?p=6469

I’ve been out of town for most of this week, so pardon me if I haven’t been as active on Twitter, but I’ve definitely kept up with the conversation on Twitter at #LesMisReadalong. Here are some of the highlights from this past week:

#LesMisReadalong V1B3C2 Tholomyès does not sound like a great catch for 'little Fantine' though. "A 30 year old pleasure seeker and badly preserved". Although the 4,000 Francs per year would add to his charms I suppose.

#LesMisReadalong V1B3C3 Interesting that VH comments about the difference of 45 years to the surroundings of Paris, and the ease of travel. 1862 was also in the midst of the Haussmann changes to Paris- knocking down much of the poor housing and creating the grand boulevards.

Favourite listened with profound attention. "Félix," said she, "what a pretty word. I like this name. It is Latin. It means prosperous."V1 B3 C7 #LesMisReadalongMy father-in-law was named Felix, as is my younger grandson. In Latin it also means happy, fortunate, and fruitful.

I’m a little short on time this week, so for week four’s post in the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, I’m going to simply pose a question in the hopes of starting a discussion. This is an honest question I have, a question to which I do not have a definitive answer. As we try to answer it, I ask that we stick only to the events of Book One and Book Two out of courtesy to those who are reading Les Misérables for the first time.

So here’s my question:

Victor Hugo called Book One “A Good Man” or “An Upright Man” or “A Just Man.” It was pretty clear that he was referring to the Bishop of Digne. But the title of Book Two is “The Fall.” What does that refer to? It’s October, but it doesn’t appear that “The Fall” refers to the season of autumn. “The Fall” is also shorthand for Adam and Eve succumbing to temptation in the Garden of Eden. Is that connected somehow with the events of this section?

What do you think? Why is Book Two called “The Fall”? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Do you have any questions about these first two books? Feel free to ask. And, as always, we’d love to hear anything you have to say about the book so far, or your experience reading it.

This past week in the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along featured one of the most famous scenes in the novel, and perhaps in all of literature: The Bishop’s Candlesticks. The twitter chat at #LesMisReadalong was abuzz with reactions to it, along with a host of other thoughts and favorite quotes. Here are a few highlights:

For him the external world had scarcely an existence. It would almost be true to say that for Jean Valjean there was no sun, no beautiful summer days, no radiant sky, no fresh April dawn. Some dim window light was all that shone in his soul. #LesMisReadalong V1 B2 C7

Thoughts on Les Mis V1, Bk2, Ch8? I think this tries to make Jean Valjean's time in prison more visual. The despair is even greater, but this almost seems random since it doesn't feature the current portion of the cast. #lesmisreadalong

(Norman) The sea is the pitiless social darkness into which the penal system casts those it has condemned, an unfathomable waste of misery.The human soul, lost in those depths, may become a corpse. Who shall revive it? #LesMisReadalonghttps://t.co/w9uKypbpTh

"Release is not freedom. You are let out of prison, but you continue to serve your sentence." Volume 1, Book 2, Chapter 9 #lesmisreadalong See Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice https://t.co/79mzsDwsnw

V1B2C10 The darkness made it difficult to determine what purpose this piece of metal was designed to serve, whether it was intended for use as a lever or a bludgeon. (Denny) uh-oh not liking the sound of this at all. Exercise in self-control – do not read ahead! #lesmisreadalong

"The moral world has no greater spectacle than this: a troubled and uneasy conscience on the brink of an evil action, contemplating the sleep of a good man." V1, Bk2, Ch11 #lesmisreadalongpic.twitter.com/mwwBSwsru7

V1 B2 C12 #Lesmisreadalong wow! This is what the previous 25 chapters were leading us to! What a man! ‘You must not forget your candlesticks.’ ‘Go in peace.’ ‘Do not forget, do not forget, that you have promised me to use the money to make yourself an honest man.’ pic.twitter.com/5Ucb4Xbzon

"Now first, did this silver belong to us?"Madame Magloire did not answer; after a moment the bishop continued:"Madame Magloire, I have for a long time wrongfully withheld this silver; it belonged to the poor. Who was this man? A poor man evidently."V1 B2 C12 #LesMisReadalong

"'Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil, but to good. It is your soul I buy from you; I withdraw it from black thoughts and the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God.'" Bk. 2, Ch.12. #lesmisreadalong

He beheld his life, and it seemed to him horrible; his soul, and it seemed to him frightful. There was, however, a softened light upon that life and upon that soul. It seemed to him that he was looking upon Satan by the light of Paradise.V1 B2 C13 #LesMisReadalong

#LesMisReadalong V1B3C1Seemingly five pages of trivial details (although some most delicious) and then- Yet these details, wrongly called trivial- there is no trivial fact in the affairs of man, no trivial leaf in the vegetable world-do serve a purpose.

#LesMisReadalong V1B3C1 Dupuytren and Récamier had an argument in the amphitheatre at the School of Medicine and threatened to come to blows over the divinity of Jesus Christ. Sexist me was not expecting Madame Récamier! pic.twitter.com/EVfIpVpWqa

Such was the confused mass of events that floated pell-mell on the surface of the year 1817, and is now forgotten. History neglects almost all these peculiarities, nor can it do otherwise; it is under the dominion of infinity.V1 B3 C1 #LesMisReadalongpic.twitter.com/hG5Czmu1VQ

]]>http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/lesmisreadalong-on-twitter-week-4-highlights/feed06452http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/lesmisreadalong-on-twitter-week-4-highlightsThe Drifter (The Last Gunfighter Book 1) by William W. Johnstonehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onecatholiclife/~3/CuaLrehdG-Q/the-drifter-the-last-gunfighter-book-1-by-william-w-johnstone
http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/the-drifter-the-last-gunfighter-book-1-by-william-w-johnstone#respondSat, 27 Jan 2018 15:27:23 +0000nwsenger@gmail.com (Nick Senger)http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/?p=6443The Drifter by William W. Johnstone is exactly what I look for in a western, which made it a perfect book to begin the 2018 Wild Wild West Reading Challenge. There was plenty of gun-fighting action, a fair share of humor, and even a bit of romance. I had picked up the Kindle edition of The Drifter at a bargain price without knowing much about the story or the author, so I had moderate expectations about how good it was going to be. After finishing it, though, I’d have to say it’s one of the best westerns I’ve ever read. It’s no Lonesome Dove, but it doesn’t pretend to be. It’s pure entertainment from beginning to end, and I really enjoyed this quick read.

Here’s the summary from the publisher:

Once, Frank Morgan had a wife and a future on the land—until a rich man with a grudge drove him out of Colorado. Since then, Morgan’s taken up the one skill that always came easy—gunfighting—and drifted to a mining town in the New Mexico Territory. But there’s nothing easy about two vicious gangs descending on the town and threatening to wreak havoc. With his reputation preceding him, Morgan is elected to stand in the outlaws’ way. And with nothing left to lose, he’s the last man who will ever back down . . .

Frank Morgan is a great character, the kind of western hero that I appreciate. He’s a good man in tough circumstances. And he’s surrounded by other interesting characters, including some vicious outlaws with devious plans.

If you like westerns then you’ll definitely like The Drifter. It’s the first in a long series, and I’ll be looking to read the second book before too long.

If you pour water over a guy and take him outside when it’s zero, ten to one the guy will freeze in a hurry.

Kennedy of the Free Press and Captain Steve MacBride of the Richmond City Police Department were featured in almost forty stories by Frederick Nebel from 1928 to 1936. In “Winter Kill” the newspaperman and the cop try to figure out who killed Russel Parcell by drenching him in water and leaving him to freeze to death in zero degree weather. Suspects abound, and the wise-cracking Kennedy has his hands full trying to sort them all out.

I enjoyed this story more than I expected to after its somewhat slow start. Kennedy is an entertaining character, and the story moved along quickly, despite its length of forty pages.

“Winter Kill” was originally published in Black Mask in November, 1935.

My Rating: ⭑⭑⭑✩✩

]]>http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/deal-me-in-story-4-winter-kill-by-frederick-nebel/feed06427http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/deal-me-in-story-4-winter-kill-by-frederick-nebelPrayer in the Digital Age by Matt Swaimhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onecatholiclife/~3/fHpzlwnNib8/prayer-in-the-digital-age-by-matt-swaim
http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/prayer-in-the-digital-age-by-matt-swaim#respondWed, 24 Jan 2018 12:20:03 +0000nwsenger@gmail.com (Nick Senger)http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/?p=6414I’m a tech guy and a Catholic school administrator, so I was very interested when a kind-hearted school parent gave me a copy of Matt Swaim’s Prayer in the Digital Age. I was hoping it would give me insights into how to help students cultivate the habit of prayer in today’s digital world. The blurb on the back promised “practical suggestions for learning how to ‘unplug’ in order to cultivate a fruitful relationship with God.”

Unfortunately, the book’s suggestions were lost in a sea of negativity, generalizations, and judgments. There are some good ideas in the book for getting into the habit of prayer, especially in the chapter called “Digital, But Disciplined.” The problem is that they are expressed in a tone that seems to assume the worst of the reader. It reminds me of that scene in the movie Airplane when the woman begins to panic and the passengers take it upon themselves to slap her out of it. I suppose it’s ok to slap readers a bit if they need waking up, but this book breaks out the boxing gloves and baseball bat.

The book also sets up a false dichotomy between technology and prayer, as if they cannot exist together. While it is necessary and healthy to “unplug” every so often, it is possible for one to be spiritually nourished and draw closer to God through technology. The digital world, as distracting and tempting as it can be, is also a world full of God’s grace.

]]>http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/prayer-in-the-digital-age-by-matt-swaim/feed06414http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/prayer-in-the-digital-age-by-matt-swaimTripwire (Jack Reacher #3) by Lee Childhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onecatholiclife/~3/lRJxWIXSTnk/tripwire-jack-reacher-3-by-lee-child
http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/tripwire-jack-reacher-3-by-lee-child#commentsTue, 23 Jan 2018 12:50:12 +0000nwsenger@gmail.com (Nick Senger)http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/?p=6402A Jack Reacher book is a lot like a popcorn movie: if you just go with it and don’t think about it too much, then it can be pretty entertaining. Tripwire is the third book in the series and the fourth Reacher book I’ve read, and while it was entertaining, it’s my least favorite. Not that it’s bad, it’s just not the Jack Reacher story I was anticipating. The book is more of an investigative mystery than an adrenaline-pumping action thriller.

Tripwire features a more introspective Jack Reacher, a man struggling to decide just what he wants to do with his life. He’s drifted for awhile, and now he’s starting to think about his future and what he wants in the long run. The reason he has so much time to think is that he’s not under constant threat of death, as he was in the first two books in the series. Though other characters are in dire peril, Reacher doesn’t even know about it, so he feels no urgency to act. That takes away some of the edge to the story and lowers the stakes.

Still, like I said before, it’s an entertaining read and I’ll probably read the next book in the series. I like the character and I want to find out the answers to some questions that were left up in the air at the end of this story.

I mentioned in my reviews of Killing Floor and Die Trying that Reacher often connects with a particular blues artist or song. The same is true in Tripwire, but the song is country this time, “Why Not Me?” by The Judds:

He had its radio locked onto a powerful city station behind him, and a woman called Wynonna Judd was asking him why not me? He felt he shouldn’t be liking Wynonna Judd as much as he was, because if somebody had asked him if he’d enjoy a country vocalist singing plaintively about love, he’d have probably said no he wouldn’t, based on his preconceptions. But she had a hell of a voice, and the number had a hell of a guitar part. And the lyric was getting to him, because he was imagining it was Jodie singing to him, not Wynonna Judd. She was singing why not me when you’re growing old? Why not me? He started singing along with it, his rough bass rumble underneath the soaring contralto, and by the time the number faded and the commercial started, he was figuring if he ever had a house and a stereo like other people did, he’d buy the record. Why not me?

Why not Tripwire? If you like the other Jack Reacher novels, you likely won’t be disappointed.

With day twenty-two of the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along upon us, we reach “The Deep and the Dark,” one of the most fascinating chapters of the book so far — at least to me. Hugo’s considerable poetry skills are on full display, and from this chapter it is easy to see why Hugo is more famous in France for his poetry than for his novels or plays.

“The Deep and the Dark” is a chapter-long metaphor that uses the sea to represent the fate of convicts. The chapter attempts to poetically portray what happens when a criminal is imprisoned and forgotten by society. Here are just a few of the more vivid images that Hugo uses:

The man disappears, then reappears, he sinks and rises to the surface again, he calls for help, his arms reach out. No one hears.

He is in the monstrous waters. He has nothing underfoot anymore but shifting and treacherousness.

Nevertheless he puts up a fight. He tries to defend himself. He tries to keep above the water, he strives, he swims. He, this puny force, immediately exhausted, combats the inexhaustible.

He feels simultaneously buried by those two infinities, the ocean and the sky: the one is a tomb, the other a shroud.

The sea is the inexorable social darkness into which the penal system casts its damned. The sea is immense wretchedness.

“The sea is immense wretchedness.” That line alone takes on tremendous meaning when one remembers that Christine Donougher translates the title of Les Misérables as The Wretched. Who are the wretched? Who are les misérables? Some of them at least are these men lost at sea. Jean Valjean appears to be one of them.

Oceans, seas, shipwrecks — Hugo returns to these water images again and again in the novel, as when the bishop calls Jean Valjean “monsieur”:

‘Monsieur’ to a convict is like a glass of water to one of the shipwrecked survivors of the Medusa. Ignominy thirsts for respect.

Here Jean Valjean is again compared to a man lost at sea, but this time Hugo evokes the story of the Medusa, one of the most shocking nautical events of the 19th century:

Through inept navigation of her captain, an émigré given command for political reasons but incompetent as a naval officer, Méduse struck the Bank of Arguin and became a total loss. The 400 people on board had to evacuate, with 151 men on an improvised raft towed by the frigate’s launches. When the launches gave up and left the raft behind, a terrible ordeal developed. Dozens were washed into the sea by a storm, others, drunk from wine, rebelled and were killed by officers. The survivors engaged in cannibalism. When supplies ran low, several injured men were thrown into the sea. After 13 days at sea, the raft was found with only 15 men surviving.

The scenes on the raft instilled considerable public emotion, making Méduse one of the most infamous shipwrecks of the Age of Sail. Two survivors, a surgeon and an officer, wrote a widely read book about the case. The case was immortalised when Théodore Géricault painted his Raft of the Medusa, which became an icon of French Romanticism.

I love all these nautical metaphors. They really work for me, probably because I’ve always loved sea stories like Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin series.

How about you? What did you think of “The Deep and the Dark”? How did your translation render the title of this chapter?

And how is the read-along going for you? Are you falling behind, racing ahead, or generally staying on pace? What parts are you enjoying the most?

]]>http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/les-miserables-chapter-a-day-read-along-the-monstrous-waters/feed76373http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/les-miserables-chapter-a-day-read-along-the-monstrous-watersOne Chapter a Day: Homily for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year Bhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onecatholiclife/~3/zHNl2esEtm0/one-chapter-a-day-homily-for-the-3rd-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-b
http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/one-chapter-a-day-homily-for-the-3rd-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-b#respondSun, 21 Jan 2018 20:23:46 +0000nwsenger@gmail.com (Nick Senger)http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/?p=6378Many of you know that Les Misérables is one of my favorite books,
but it’s a long one, almost 1500 pages, so reading it takes a while.
Last year I found out that it has exactly 365 chapters,
so I decided that in 2018 I would read one chapter a day,
starting on January 1st and going to December 31st.
They’re short chapters, about 5 pages or so,
and I I thought it would be kind of a meditation and exercise
in patience and delayed gratification to read it so slowly.
I also thought I would stay motivated if I read it with others,
so I sent word out through the Internet and invited anyone to join me.
So far there are almost fifty people reading it,
including some of you, and some former students of mine.
There are also readers from California, Texas, Illinois, New Hampshire,
and even as far away as The Netherlands and Australia.
And we’re all reading one chapter a day.

As the book begins, the first main character is the Bishop of Digne.
The first fourteen chapters describe what a good man he is
and how he spends his days,
how he takes care of the poor, the sick, the suffering.
He’s a saint, really, and we get fourteen chapters to tell us that.
For the first two weeks of January, reading one chapter a day,
nothing really happens to advance the plot.
But finally, in the fifteenth chapter, something does happen.

A stranger comes to town,
a wanderer, a traveler, a scruffy-looking vagrant named Jean Valjean.
He enters the town of Digne, where the bishop lives,
and everything begins.

Sometimes life is like that.
We go on living ten, twelve, fourteen chapters of our lives,
with nothing really new, nothing really dramatic.

And then suddenly a stranger comes to town, a stranger enters our lives.
Maybe we meet the person we end up marrying.
Maybe we have a baby.
Maybe we get a new coworker or neighbor.

When a stranger comes to town
life gets interesting and dramatic for awhile.
There’s no telling what might happen.
A stranger is mysterious, a stranger catches everyone’s attention,
a stranger breaks the monotony of ordinary life.

Jonah is a stranger to the Ninevites.
The Ninevites are living their lives as usual,
living their chapters one day at a time,
which for Nineveh means they’re living in sin and wickedness.
Suddenly here comes Jonah,
walking from one end of the city to the other,
announcing that Nineveh is going to be destroyed.
He’s a catalyst, a trigger for change.
The Ninevites listen to Jonah, they repent and believe in God.
A stranger comes to town and their lives are forever changed.

Jesus is a stranger to the Galileans,
a stranger to Simon, Andrew, James and John.
They’re living their lives as usual, living their chapters one day at a time,
catching fish, doing their daily work.
Suddenly here comes Jesus saying,
“Repent and believe in the gospel.”
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Jesus, too, is a catalyst, a trigger for change.
The apostles listen to Jesus, they abandon their nets,
they follow him.
A stranger comes to town and their lives are forever changed.

And here we are,
living our lives as usual, living our chapters one day at a time,
doing laundry, paying bills, raising children,
going to our jobs.
Suddenly here comes Jesus,
saying in today’s Scripture readings,
“Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
“Come after me.”

But Jesus isn’t a stranger to us
the way he was to the fishermen, to the Galileans.
We know who Jesus is.
For most of us,
as far back as we can remember,
we’ve known the name of Jesus.
We’ve been raised with him.
We’ve heard this story before, many times.

And that can be a problem.
Maybe this story isn’t as dramatic for us as it used to be.
We’re in Ordinary Time now,
and maybe this story is too ordinary to move us
because we’ve heard it so often.

It’s so easy for the new or the strange to become the familiar,
to lose its ability to move us.

It’s like when a house you live in
or a place you go to for a long time
doesn’t seem special anymore.

Do you remember walking into this church building for the very first time?
Maybe you just moved to into the neighborhood,
or maybe you started going back to Mass after being away for awhile.
For some of us, the first time we came into this building
was right after it was built.
Remember how we used to have Mass in what is now the gym,
when the parish hall was just a big empty space in the back,
separated by that folding accordion wall divider?

And then we built this church building.
How fresh, how new, how inspiring it was!
Does it still feel that way?
It doesn’t take long for something new to become so familiar
that it doesn’t affect us in the same way,
even if you keep changing it and adding to it.

We’ve painted the walls, added tile in the narthex,
and finished the parish hall.
We have a beautiful new statue of John the Baptist
in the baptismal font
and an icon of the Ascension.
But after awhile we get used to them,
and they all become ordinary, part of the background.
It takes deliberate effort to notice and appreciate them.

The same thing can happen with Scripture.
This weekend we begin reading from the Gospel of Mark,
the gospel that we’ll be reading all year,
the same words we heard three years ago,
when we last read it,
the same familiar stories we’ve heard for most of our lives.
How can we make them fresh again?
How can we recapture the newness of the Good News?

One thing we might do is read a different translation,
and hear the same stories and events, but with slightly different words.
Or maybe when we read the Bible at home we could read out loud.

We could shake things up a bit when we come to Mass, too.
We could play musical pews.
Everybody seems to have their own spot in the pews,
but have you ever wondered what Mass looks like from a different seat?
You’re probably used to looking across the sanctuary
and seeing the same people sit there week after week,
the same people in front of you, the same people behind you.
What if you moved to a different part of the church for Mass?That would be strange.

Or what if you came to Mass at a different time?
The 4:30 Mass goers could wake up early on Sunday
and see what the church looks like in the morning sunlight.
The 8:00 crowd could come to 10:30
and meet people they didn’t even know went to St. Peter’s.
Or the 10:30 Mass goers could come Saturday night
and find out what kind of mischief Fr. George is up to.

Each of these things could help us to see things from a different angle,
and make the familiar seem new again.

But after awhile they become ordinary, they become the new status quo.
We can’t live that way all the time, constantly trying new things
simply to make our lives interesting.
Life is interesting enough!

This is what Catholic author G.K. Chesterton meant when he said,“The most extraordinary thing in the world is an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children.”

The challenge is to see the events of our ordinary days
as moments of grace-filled strangeness,
to see the Mystery that lies behind each moment of our lives.

Washing dishes, the daily commute, grocery shopping,
weekly Mass with stories we’ve heard dozens of times,
these are the chapters of our lives.
These are the moments in which Jesus says to us,
“Repent and believe in the gospel.”
“Come after me.”

There’s enough grace in our ordinary lives
to give us all the opportunity we need to change our hearts
and follow Jesus.

We don’t need to wait for the dramatic to happen.
Each day the drama of salvation unfolds again and again,
if we would only notice it.

But it does take time and a conscious effort.

Even though it took fifteen days
to get to the real beginning of Les Misérables,
those two weeks where nothing seemed to happen
were important in their own way.
By slowing down,
reading the chapters deliberately and meditating on them each day
we were able to savor the beautiful language
and get to know the character of the Bishop.
Even though I have read Les Misérables several times before,
there were sentences in those chapters I had never really read.

We can do the same thing with our lives,
by slowing down and reading the chapters of our lives
and meditating on them.
With time and conscious effort
we can better recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives
and be moved by Jesus’ invitation to change our hearts and follow him,
so that today and tomorrow and the next day
will be the beginning of a brand new story for our lives,
a story that leads to the happiest of all possible endings,
eternal life.

]]>http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/one-chapter-a-day-homily-for-the-3rd-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-b/feed0Many of you know that Les Misérables is one of my favorite books, but it’s a long one, almost 1500 pages, so reading it takes a while. Last year I found out that it has exactly 365 chapters, so I decided that in 2018 I would read one chapter a day,
but it’s a long one, almost 1500 pages, so reading it takes a while.

#lesmisreadalong Cold, rain, wind and storm so when the postman brought me a package I jumped out of my chair! Inspired by this read-along to learn more about Victor Hugo, the man. 365 days…3 pages a day, I can do this! pic.twitter.com/1CPuStRDK2

The good woman touched the man's arm and pointed out to him on the other side of the square a little low house beside the bishop's palace."You have knocked at every door?" she asked."Yes.""Have you knocked at that one?""No.""Knock there."V1 B2 C1 #LesMisReadalongpic.twitter.com/II6vBBkSi4

Mademoiselle Baptistine…had been fore-ordained to meekness, but faith, charity, hope, these three virtues which gently warm the heart, had gradually sublimated this meekness into sanctity. V1 B2 C2 #LesMisReadalongpic.twitter.com/B8kfpa9AQu

"‘Monsieur’ to a convict is like a glass of water to one of the shipwrecked survivors of the Medusa. Ignominy thirsts for respect." V1, Bk2, Ch3 #lesmisreadalong Géricault's "Raft of the Medusa" was an "icon of French Romanticism" pic.twitter.com/I7TTIosVIx

"Hugo was born on 26 February 1802, but because he was a slightly premature baby, he always believed he had been conceived on 24 June 1801. Valjean's prison number…at Toulon is 24601." – Bellos, Novel of the Century #lesmisreadalong

For the first western short story of the Deal Me In Challenge, “Buffalo Horns” was a bit unusual. The story takes place in 1929 in Hardin, Montana. Not exactly the heart of the West. But that’s the point of this story, I guess. It’s a wistful look back at a time gone by, more of a vignette than a story. It’s beautiful in its own way, but not the kind of story I was hoping for. It probably would have struck me more poignantly if I had read it in order, since it comes towards the end of the anthology. Maybe after reading a bunch of traditional stories of the West, Knight’s story of an aging train robber would have had a greater impact.

My Rating: ⭑⭑⭑✩✩

]]>http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/deal-me-in-story-3-buffalo-horns-by-arthur-winfield-knight/feed06355http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/deal-me-in-story-3-buffalo-horns-by-arthur-winfield-knightPope Francis and the Joy of the Gospel by Edward Srihttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onecatholiclife/~3/TUQP4tmLNTQ/pope-francis-and-the-joy-of-the-gospel-by-edward-sri
http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/pope-francis-and-the-joy-of-the-gospel-by-edward-sri#commentsWed, 17 Jan 2018 12:28:37 +0000nwsenger@gmail.com (Nick Senger)http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/?p=6316This past December our pastor gave each member of the parish staff a copy of Pope Francis and the Joy of the Gospel: Rediscovering the Heart of a Disciple by Edward Sri. He asked us to read it because his focus for the parish in 2018 is on our baptismal call to share the Good News. Sri’s book fits this focus because it’s is a distillation and explanation of The Joy of the Gospel, an apostolic exhortation published by Pope Francis in 2013.

A pope writes an apostolic exhortation in order to encourage the faithful to live in a certain way. To exhort is to encourage or to urge, and in The Joy of the Gospel Pope Francis wants “to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come.”

I read The Joy of the Gospel shortly after Pope Francis published it, and I found it inspirational, challenging, and encouraging. Edward Sri’s book does an excellent job of breaking it open and giving concrete examples of how to put its message into practice. It’s an excellent introduction to The Joy of the Gospel and would make a great book for a parish book study. Each chapter includes questions for personal reflection which could also be used for group discussion. It would also be a good book for Catholic educators and catechists to read and discuss for professional development.

With eleven short chapters totaling 112 pages, Sri’s book is an easy read. The challenge is to let it sink in, to allow it to help you rediscover your disciple’s heart. An excellent read.

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas is one of my favorite all-time books. I might even put it up there with the likes of The Lord of the Rings, Master and Commander, and Don Quixote. And like the characters in those other books, the characters in The Three Musketeers are old friends of mine. I love hanging out not only with D’Artagnan, Athos, Aramis, and Porthos, but also with their servants Planchet, Mousqueton, Grimaud, and Bazin.

I’ve read the book maybe three of four times in my life, most recently in December of 2015, and it was after that reading that I found out about the sequels. It took me quite awhile to sort them out, though, because they have been packaged and repackaged in several editions over the years, with several different names. The most famous of the sequels is The Man in the Iron Mask, but it’s actually the last in the series. Here are the D’Artagnan Romances (as they are called), as currently published by Oxford World’s Classics:

Though it looks like there are five books in the series, there are really only three: The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte de Bragelonne: Ten Years Later. But The Vicomte de Bragelonne is so long it is divided into three volumes, the last of which is The Man in the Iron Mask.

When I was making my Classics Club list, the first titles I put on it were the D’Artagnan sequels, so eager was I to read them. I plan on reading one each year from 2018-2021.

It was with great anticipation, then, that I began Twenty Years After. I have to admit, though, that I was a little worried. After all, the story takes place twenty years after the events of The Three Musketeers, and the characters would be, well, old. How active could they be compared to when they were young and spry?

I’m happy to say that my worries were all unfounded. Yes, the musketeers are twenty years older, but they’re still in their early forties and just as energetic as ever, if a bit wiser. Twenty Years After was a great story, almost as entertaining as The Three Musketeers. Nearly all the elements were there from the original: the action, the humor, the intrigue, the history. The antagonists weren’t quite as compelling as in The Three Musketeers, but then it’s hard to top villains like Cardinal Richelieu and Milady.

The story takes place in France and England around the year 1650 when Louis XIV is still a child and the English Civil War is coming to an end. Queen Anne of Austria is regent of France, assisted by First Minister Cardinal Mazarin, and Charles I contends with Oliver Cromwell for control of England. D’Artagnan and the three musketeers find themselves drawn back into the unstable political climate and at the center of the hurricane in both France and England.

All in all, I was thrilled with Twenty Years After, and I’m eagerly looking forward to the other books in the series. If you’re a fan of The Three Musketeers, don’t pass this book by.

]]>http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/classics-club-18-twenty-years-after-by-alexandre-dumas/feed06345http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/classics-club-18-twenty-years-after-by-alexandre-dumasLes Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: The Beginninghttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onecatholiclife/~3/0G_W4SafVZ4/les-miserables-chapter-a-day-read-along-the-beginning
http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/les-miserables-chapter-a-day-read-along-the-beginning#commentsMon, 15 Jan 2018 12:18:29 +0000nwsenger@gmail.com (Nick Senger)http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/?p=6318I once read that almost every story begins in either one of two ways: someone goes on a journey, or a stranger comes to town. The journey story is as well known as The Odyssey, Gulliver’s Travels, The Grapes of Wrath, The Lord of the Rings, and Journey to the Center of the Earth. But think about the other type of story, the tale that begins with the arrival of a stranger. For example:

The events of To Kill a Mockingbird get started “the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea of making Boo Radley come out.”

The Hobbit doesn’t get going until, “By some curious chance one morning long ago in the quiet of the world, when there was less noise and more green, and the hobbits were still numerous and prosperous, and Bilbo Baggins was standing at his door after breakfast smoking an enormous long wooden pipe that reached nearly down to his woolly toes (neatly brushed) — Gandalf came by.”

In Pride and Prejudice, the story begins when we find out that “Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England…”

As we come to week three of the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, after fourteen chapters getting to know the Bishop of Digne, a stranger comes to town:

Early in the month of October 1815, about an hour before sunset, a man traveling on foot entered the little town of Digne.

Who is this man? Why is he traveling on foot? What is his business in Digne? These questions provide the spark that ignites the plot of Les Misérables. At this point in the read-along it may begin to get harder to read only one chapter at a time. But I encourage you to stick to the schedule and let the anticipation of what is to come prolong your enjoyment of the story. As for myself, I’m going to approach it as an exercise in patience and delayed gratification.

Final Thoughts

After I shared some of last week’s tweets in a post yesterday another tweet came out that really struck me. I want to share it with you today rather than waiting until next week because to me it’s what hosting this read-along is all about: bringing people together over literature. Here is the tweet:

I hope more of you get the chance to meet other #LesMisReadalong friends in person. Brona’s tweet makes me think that I should host a get-together here in Spokane, Washington. Hmmm…I wonder if there would be enough interest in gathering on December 31st to read the final chapter together out loud? Perhaps even a Facebook Live broadcast? I’ll have to mull that one over.

In the meantime, happy reading, and enjoy getting to know this stranger with “a huge knotted stick in his hand, hobnailed shoes on his stockingless feet, a shaven head and a long beard.”

The tweets keep coming in the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along. We’ve finally reached the end of Book 1: A Good Man, and I’ll have a new read-along post up tomorrow to wrap it up and look forward to Book 2. In the meantime, enjoy this post which gathers some of the tweets from the second week. A big Thank You! to everyone who’s sharing their favorite quotes, thoughts on translation, struggles, victories, and all the other other ways Les Misérables is affecting you. You’re making this read-along an interactive adventure, and it’s only just beginning!

If you’re interested in participating on Twitter, we’re using the hashtag #LesMisReadalong. Just add that to any of your tweets about Les Misérables and we’ll be sure to see them. And if you want to follow the Twitter conversation but don’t necessarily want to add your two cents, you can click on #LesMisReadalong each day to see what people are tweeting about the book.

Once again, it is never too late join us in reading Les Misérables this year. A chapter a day is hardly any time commitment at all, and the slow pace is allowing us to really chew on Hugo’s words and appreciate them. We’re only fourteen days into the challenge, which is to say to catch up you only need to read about 60 pages. To join, simply leave a comment or link on the announcement post and subscribe to this blog to get updates throughout the year.

Vol 1 Book 1 Ch 9 #lesmisreadalong struggling to put aside my feminist lens as I read about 'two devoted women (who) subordinated their actions, their thoughts, even their timorous feminine instincts to his habits & purposes, without his needing to express them in words.' pic.twitter.com/ft83AALqYY

We're obviously getting an incredibly in-depth portrait of the man. It also mentioned again the sister's concern about the doors being unlocked. I'm sensing that will be a problem soon…. #lesmisreadalong

"Now, can one come in contact incessantly night and day with all this distress, all these misfortunes, and this poverty, without having about one's own person a little of that misery, like the dust of labor?" #lesmisreadalong

We live in a sad society. Succeed; that is the advice which falls drop by drop, from the overhanging corruption.We may say, by the way, that success is a hideous thing. Its counterfeit of merit deceives men. V1, B1, C12 #LesMisReadalong

…and what more can be desired? A little garden to walk, and immensity to reflect upon. At his feet something to cultivate and gather; above his head something to study and meditate upon; a few flowers of the earth, and all the stars in the sky. V1, B1, C13 #LesMisReadalongpic.twitter.com/I5hg4NKbLh

Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe, The Continental Op, these are the hardboiled detectives. Tough and no-nonsense, they fought crime in the pages of pulp magazines like Black Mask, Dime Detective and Detective Fiction Weekly. Some of their stories are collected in The Hardboiled Dicks, edited by Ron Goulart, where this week’s Deal Me In story comes from.

Card Drawn: Q

Anthology: The Hardboiled Dicks edited by Ron Goulart

Story: “Angelfish” by Lester Dent, 1936

“Nan Moberly surged up violently on the bed, straining against the white rope until her arms and legs trembled.”

When I was choosing and organizing my short stories for this year’s Deal Me In Challenge, I was excited there was a story by Lester Dent on my list. Lester Dent is the author of one of pulp fiction’s greatest heroes, Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze. In the 1990’s I had a great time collecting and reading the Doc Savage Bantam paperbacks, so I really looked forward to reading his hardboiled story, “Angelfish.”

The story features Oscar Sail, “a long brown man, dressed in black–black polo shirt, black trousers, and black tennis shoes.” This is the second of two stories Dent wrote about Sail, who lives on his boat, aptly named Sail. In this story he finds himself embroiled in a deception that soon turns deadly. Like most hardboiled fiction, “Angelfish” is gritty, violent, and action-packed, but it didn’t grab me liked I hoped it would. There were a few unexpected twists, however, and I liked Dent’s tough-guy writing style. So, while I think Dent’s Doc Savage stories are better, “Angelfish” was still a decent read.

Sometimes he dug the soil in his garden, sometimes he read or wrote. For both these kinds of work he had just one word: he called this ‘gardening’. ‘The mind is a garden,’ he used to say.

Welcome to week two of the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along. We’re now seven chapters into the book, and the story so far has been dominated by one man: the Bishop of Digne. Dominated is probably too strong a word for someone with his humility and charity, but he certainly makes an impression, and for all the right reasons. To my mind, the Bishop of Digne is one of the most memorable saintly characters in all of literature.

But he almost wasn’t.

Get Rid of That Bishop

In the mid 1800’s, anticlerical sentiment ran high in French society. According to Doris Donnelly in “The Cleric Behind Les Mis,” when Hugo was writing Les Misérables his own son Charles was outraged at such a positive portrayal of a bishop and argued that the character should be a lawyer or doctor, or some other secular professional. “He argued to his father that the portrayal gave undeserved respect to a corrupt clergy, bestowing credibility on a Roman Catholic Church opposed to the democratic ideals that he and his father held.” But, as Donnelly continues,

The pushback didn’t work. Not only did Hugo hold his ground, but he amplified the importance of Charles-Franćois Bienvenue Myriel, affectionately known in the novel as Monseigneur Bienvenue (Bishop Welcome)….Thirty years earlier, Hugo had solidified his anticlerical credentials by crafting the repulsive, licentious Archdeacon Claude Frollo in “Notre Dame de Paris.” It was time to try a new approach in “Les Misérables,” so he rendered an ideal priest against whom clergy could measure their fidelity to tenderness and mercy. His expectation — as we know from the contemporaneous diary of his wife, Adele — was that corrupt priests would be shamed and indicted by comparison with a good one.

Donnelly’s entire article is well worth reading, but beware of spoilers. If you don’t want to know what’s coming, bookmark the article and come back to it in a month or so.

The Bishop of Digne and Pope Francis

I find it interesting that Hugo wanted to use Les Misérables to reform the clergy of his time. Last week I read a book called Pope Francis and the Joy of the Gospel by Edward Sri and it was fresh in my mind as I was reading the first seven chapters of Les Misérables about Monseigneur Bienvenu. In The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis wishes “to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come.”

I couldn’t help but see in the Bishop of Digne a perfect illustration of the path Pope Francis points out in The Joy of the Gospel. For instance, when Pope Francis writes about how to be a missionary disciple he writes,

Evangelizers thus take on the “smell of the sheep” and the sheep are willing to hear their voice…Often it is better simply to slow down, to put aside our eagerness in order to see and listen to others, to stop rushing from one thing to another and to remain with someone who has faltered along the way.

When Hugo describes the Bishop of Digne as he travels around his diocese meeting his flock he says,

On his visits he was kind and indulgent, and did not so much preach as chat.

Pope Francis also writes about the need for the Church to have an open heart:

One concrete sign of such openness is that our church doors should always be open, so that if someone, moved by the Spirit, comes there looking for God, he or she will not find a closed door.

What better example of this than the Bishop of Digne’s nickname, Monseigneur Welcome (Bienvenu). At his home the door is always open:

The house had not a single door that could be locked. The door of the dining room which, as we have said, opened directly on to the cathedral square had formerly been fitted with locks and bolts like a prison door. The bishop had all these iron fittings removed, and day or night this door was always left on the latch. No matter what time it was, anyone that called had only to push it open….As for the bishop, an explanation of his thinking, or at least a clue to it, can be found in a few lines he wrote in the margin of a bible. ‘There is a subtle distinction to be made: the doctor’s door should never be shut, the priest’s door should always be open.’

In The Joy of the Gospel, as in all of his writings, Pope Francis continues to emphasize the importance of mercy in dealing with others:

The Church must be a place of mercy freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel.

Hugo recounts a notation written in the margin of a book by the Bishop of Digne that could just as well have been written by Pope Francis:

‘Ecclesiastes names you Almighty, the Maccabees name you Creator, the Epistle to the Ephesians names you Freedom, Baruch names you Immensity, the Psalms name you Wisdom and Truth, John names you Light, the Book of Kings names you Lord, Exodus names you Providence. Leviticus, Sanctity. Esdras, Justice. Creation names you God. Mankind names you Father. But Solomon names you Mercy, and of all your names this is the most beautiful.’

And finally, in The Joy of the Gospel Pope Francis envisions a Church that goes out to the people unafraid of being uncomfortable or hurt:

I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.

And here is the Bishop, explaining to the mayor of a neighboring village why he must go into a dangerous territory under the control of the criminal Cravatte and his “pack of wolves”:

‘Monsieur le maire, it may be that this very pack of wolves is the flock Jesus is placing in my pastoral care. Who understands the ways of providence?…I’m not in this world to protect my life but to protect souls.’

Anyone wanting to see a living example of what Pope Francis is urging the Church to become would do well to read the story of the Bishop of Digne in Les Misérables.

Final Thoughts

As week two of the read-along begins, I’ll end with few lines from the first seven chapters that spoke to me. I’d love to hear your favorite lines from the book so far and/or any thoughts about how the read-along is going for you up to this point. You can leave your feedback in the comment box at the end of this post.

And now, some passages that struck me from the first seven chapters:

Her whole life, which had been simply a succession of good deeds, had ultimately conferred on her a sort of paleness and brightness, and with advancing years she had gained what might be called the beauty of goodness.

This is the way he talked, seriously and like a father, inventing parables in the absence of examples, going directly to the point with few fine words and many illustrations, which was Jesus Christ’s eloquence exactly, assured and persuasive.

Society is to blame for not giving free education. It’s responsible for the darkness it produces.

It is possible to feel a certain indifference about the death penalty, not to declare yourself, to say yes and no, so long as you have not seen a guillotine with your own eyes. But if you do come across one, it has a violent impact. You are forced to make a decision, to take sides, for or against.

We’ve almost finished the first week of the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, and the Twitter conversation about the opening few chapters has been amazing. Readers are using the hashtag #LesMisReadalong to chronicle their reading experience, share their knowledge, and support each other in their literary journey. But if you don’t have a Twitter account, not to worry. This post is a sampling of some of the tweets from this past week that caught my attention. And I’ll have a new read-along post on Monday that will feature that humble, generous clergyman, the Bishop of Digne.

If you’ve not signed up for the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, it’s definitely not too late. We’re only getting started! You don’t have to have a Twitter account or a blog, you only need an unabridged copy of Les Misérables. To join, visit the sign-up page and leave a comment (or a link if you have your own blog), download the reading schedule, and catch up to us when you can.

And now, a highlight of this week’s Les Mis tweets:

Just decided to do this #LesMisReadAlong. Gearing up for revolution & songs of angry men & epic battles between moral absolutism & moral relativism & class warfare & prostitution/death/despair/hope…much more fun to get it from a book than the news! https://t.co/MYNIS6q7C0

Well I've done it! I've "read" Chapter One of Les Mis en français. It was exhausting, my brain hurts. And when I say "read" I mean stumbled through reading aloud with my English translation on my knee. #LesMisReadalongpic.twitter.com/4652Y5ekui

#LesMisReadalong Vol 1 Ch 1 Monseigneur Myriel "What is reported of men, whether it be true or false, may play as large a part of their lives, and above all in their destiny, as the things they do." pic.twitter.com/skZtGfgx7P

Vol 1 Book 1 Ch 4 #LesMisReadalong "there are in France 21300 peasant cottages which have only 3 outlets, 17800 which have only 2, a door & 1 window, & 46300 which have only a door. This is due to…the tax on doors & windows….God gives air to mankind & the law sells it." pic.twitter.com/HX8YAa1rtA

]]>http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/lesmisreadalong-on-twitter-week-1/feed26259noThere are millions of Catholic stories in the world, and you've just stumbled across mine.Nick SengerBooks and Reading • Faith and Preaching • Life and Livingcatholic,deacon,homilies,homily,catechist,sermonhttp://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/lesmisreadalong-on-twitter-week-1http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Les-Miserables-Chapter-a-Day-Reading-Schedule-2018.pdfDeal Me In Story #1: The Man Upstairs by Ray Bradburyhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onecatholiclife/~3/ffoorDA7e3Q/deal-me-in-story-1-the-man-upstairs-by-ray-bradbury
http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/deal-me-in-story-1-the-man-upstairs-by-ray-bradbury#respondThu, 04 Jan 2018 12:39:25 +0000nwsenger@gmail.com (Nick Senger)http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/?p=6244

I’m excited to start a new year of reading short stories for the Deal Me In Short Story Challenge. Last year’s challenge was very successful except for one thing: I only reviewed a few of the short stories I read. This year I’m going to try and write about all of them, even if only briefly. That way I’ll remember them better when it comes time to review the anthologies they’re in. I always read my stories on Sundays, but I’m anxious to get started so I began a little early this year.

Card Drawn: 2

Anthology: The October Country by Ray Bradbury

Story: “The Man Upstairs,” 1943

I’m so glad to get the year started off with Ray Bradbury, one of my favorite authors. And he did not disappoint. “The Man Upstairs” is vintage Bradbury — an inquisitive boy, a strange tenant, odd behavior, and Bradbury’s wonderful prose. For example:

It was a wonder when Grandma brandished silver shakers over the bird, supposedly sprinkling showers of mummy-dust and pulverized Indian bones, muttering mystical verses under her toothless breath.

And:

The straw hat lay brittle and terrible upon the bed, the umbrella leaned stiff against one wall like a dead bat with dark moist wings folded.

Who is this stranger that has come to board at Douglas’ house? Why does he bring his own eating utensils? Why does he only carry copper money?

This macabre tale has everything I love in Ray Bradbury’s writing and it makes me eager to read the rest of the stories in The October Country.

My Rating: ⭑⭑⭑⭑✩

By the way, there’s still plenty of time to sign up for the challenge, so head on over to Jay’s sign up post if you’re interested.

]]>http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/deal-me-in-story-1-the-man-upstairs-by-ray-bradbury/feed06244http://www.nicksenger.com/onecatholiclife/deal-me-in-story-1-the-man-upstairs-by-ray-bradburyNick SengernonadultThere are millions of Catholic stories in the world, and you've just stumbled across mine.